State of the Industry
Is Gender an issue?
Is gender an issue? On the surface things look so much better. There are now more women working in the media industries and there is a far greater range of representations of women on screen. There are women in top positions in Networks, funding bodies and production houses. On the surface it looks as if numbers are up, that things are looking good, so, can we relax our stance on the gender issue?
Media discussions of women in the public eye still seemed to be framed by rather conservative discourses. Why do we care if the PM’s wife has lost a few pounds? Should we judge a reality TV contestant by how she looks? Can we only offer audiences one version of womanhood on TV?
Perhaps this would be different if we had more women working in the key creative roles. It’s not only about the numbers of women on the industry, but what sort of access we have. Look at the credits for TV drama (if they haven’t been squeezed!) and try to find a female amongst them. Only 24% of Directors are female. How many female DOP’s do we have currently working in the industry? Very few, 6% of DOPs are women. The numbers are low and are dropping. In 1996 26% of Editors were women, by 2006 it had dropped to 23%. It’s the same story across the industry – Female Sound Technicians have dropped during that time from 15% to 10%, and so on. The statistics are even worse in areas such as Sport, Gaming, Animation and Music. The reality is that is now harder than ever to be a woman in the Film and Television industries.
The fact that the director or DOP is female won’t necessarily mean that we will change the way women are represented, that’s perhaps assigning a burden of responsibility to large for individual to bear. But, surely, that’s one way in which we can do something to change perspectives and broaden debate.
Women In Film and Television (WIFT) NSW is an organisation that is dedicated to helping women gain access to those technical and creative roles. Through our Mentorship Program for Women we are matching women with experienced and influential men and women who can help change these patterns. Our association with SMPTE is helping women get valuable skills and support in technical areas in a fast changing landscape. Through the WOW film festival we can showcase the wonderful work women are making, and our Café Connections sessions give ample opportunities for networking. But, we all need to do more.
We need to think about practical solutions. While it is not about forcing people to employ women, maybe we need to revisit a quota system for training? How can the industry guilds work more effectively together to help women gain better access? It is about creating an industry where women have equal access to training and opportunities. It’s about providing space for other voices and perspectives. WIFT NSW is helping women make connections and broaden their networks within the industry. It is about the numbers, but it is also about how to get women into the areas in which they are seriously underrepresented. It is about gender, but as importantly, it’s about creating an industry that is vibrant, diverse and sustainable, and giving more women the opportunity to participate in that. Let’s face it, men and women working together to create a stronger and more dynamic industry – it’s a win-win for us all.
Dr Jane Roscoe
President
WIFT NSW
