Where Are The Working Women in Hollywood?

DNOFestivalWebEarlier this month, I had the good fortune to attend the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. As part of that, I also attended the Women’s Panel, which featured successful women from all corners of film production: editing, directing, costuming, casting, production design, and producing. The panel provided a forum for them to come together to discuss their unique experiences from working in the film industry.
The panel featured producers Bonnie Arnold (“How to Train Your Dragon 2”), Carolyn Blackwood (“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”), Kristin Hahn (“Cake”), Joanna Natasegara (“Virunga”) and Kristina Reed (“Feast”), and directors Rory Kennedy (“Last Days in Vietnam”) and Aneta Kopacz (“Joanna”).
While the women all agreed they love the work they do, they also concurred that Hollywood is definitely a sexist place. Rory Kennedy pointed out how low the numbers of working women actually are. The gender gap is documented in new research by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University that found that females comprised a paltry 12% of protagonists in the top-grossing films of 2014. Variety  reports that over the past decade, the situation has gotten worse, not better. The latest figures represent a drop of three percentage points from 2013 and a fall of four percentage points from 2002.
Dr. Martha Lauzen, author of the study was recently quoted in The Independent saying, “Women are not a niche audience and they are no more ‘risky’ as filmmakers than men. The chronic underrepresentation of girls and women reveals a kind of arrested development in the mainstream film industry.”
The center’s report comes on the heels of another study that examined the scarcity of female directors, screenwriters and other behind-the-camera talent. This second study found that over the past 17 years, the number of women directing the 250 top-grossing films declined by 2%.
So what did these industry leaders in Santa Barbara recommend to change the status quo? First of all, get more women involved both in front of and behind the camera. The film business also needs to think about the issues, and use the medium to bring some of the problems facing women and girls and their powerful stories to the forefront. It is also important to urge women to work and pursue their passion and purpose. We must support women in Hollywood and in workplaces worldwide, and help them believe in themselves and demand the money they deserve.
What was fascinating about the panel, outside of the lively topics, was to watch the way the women connected with one another. As the topics shifted away from individual projects and struggles and began to focus on the issues that connect us all, a synergy and camaraderie took center stage and women ruled the day.
Today, women make up 50% of the workforce, have higher education levels than men, and are often the primary breadwinners in their families, yet they still end up underpaid and underrepresented. Studies show that having more women in the workplace can lead to higher productivity and efficiency. So what is the hold up? Whether you are in Hollywood or Madison, reach out, grab another woman’s hand and together we can build a world that benefits women across the board.
 

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