They anchor newscasts, certainly. They run companies, households, and governments. But game shows are as rarefied a male preserve as an NFL locker room. A few women have held the quiz cards. Four women, including Arlene Francis and Gypsy Rose Lee , briefly made it as prime-time quiz show hosts in the early 1950s.
Panelists answer questions and solve puzzles, of course, and they are valued for their wit.
But panelists don't have real authority. They can't initiate the action or direct it, nor can they engage in the ceremonial greeting or sign-off. Even so, it's better than the game show's pink-collar ghetto. The audience at home during the day tended to be female, and the thinking was, they didn't necessarily want to watch another woman hosting a show. They wanted to look at a man.