Variety: You’ve probably seen the well-regarded — and deplorable — statistics about women’s employment in the entertainment industry from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, and Dr. Martha Lauzen’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. The statistics are discouraging, but I’m glad they exist. Without them we wouldn’t know the true shape of our working reality.
12 comments:
It is very sad to hear that women are still discriminated in the film industry. It is very frustrating that women are not seen as “good enough” stunt coordinators because of their physical appearance. Just because a guy is tall and muscular does not mean he knows the techniques of stunt work and is able to direct others in doing so. Muscles and physical appearance are not everything just because the job is very physical. There is an art form to performing stunts and they need to be done in the right way. If a stunt goes wrong then there can be major issues. Women who have been in the business a long time should get picked over men who just look the part. It is sad that women cannot fight back because then their careers will suffer as a result if they do not win. Equality in the work place is far from being achieved.
Reading this article made me realize how out of touch I am with the issues that we as women are still facing. It is surprising and sad for me to hear that even now, women are being judged by their demeanor and labeled as less capable than men. I have never thought about how this problem can affect stuntmen and women but this article explains that it is one of the main problems women face in this industry. I can see where the stigma comes from, but I would think that by now people would know better than to claim that appearance or gender can really show experience. This issues needs to be given more attention in order to help inform people of the bias and maybe have a hand in stopping this issue through those people who are not even aware that they are a part of it. It sounds like if the guilds get involved they can have a huge impact on this problem but I also believe that we can all do our part by helping educate others on this topic and getting rid of the idea that women aren't as able as men in either a physically demanding or leadership position.
Every "theres a sexism problem in Hollywood" article that I read on this blog always makes me more and more worried for the current state of entertainment in America. The US has such an absolute advantage in the entertainment for the rest of the world, and so, like for many things the US does, it sets a major standard for gender ratios in entertainment worldwide. All I can really hope is that when we get more female directors/producers, we will start a snowball effect that includes more woman in all hiring processes just because more women are involved in the first place. It's just so incredibly frustrating to consistently see articles about the major diversity problem that the entertainment industry has, just because I feel like other industries have been so rapidly developing when it comes to diversity. The US, in a lot of ways, is at least starting to wake up to these archaic ideals of patriarchy and white supremacy, and yet we still like our entertainment as sexist and racist as can be.
I guess to me it really is mind boggling that women still face these kinds of problems in the world, but definitely way more so in Entertainment. One really would think that if there is any industry where women can be on an equal playing field, it would be in the field of Entertainment. Well, I guess not... I guess I can see why producers might have a bias towards larger, male stuntmen due to perceived stereotypes for that job. Like the article said, female producers should be the force of change in resolving this dilemma, but then again, that would require more female producers in the first place I suppose.
At least for me, it seems so daunting to resolve this gender inequality gap in the workplace. If there was only a way to just remove everybody's preconceived bias from their brain when it comes time to hire. That being said, I am optimistic that the coming years will continue to bring positive improvements in this area of equality based on the continued coverage and exposure of this issue.
Unequal pay for equal work is a problem that has been rampant in American society for as long as society has existed, be it latinos, african americans, or women doing the work. Your white male boss just doesn't seem inclined to pay you as much money if you're any of those minorities. However, we live in an age where equality is supposedly the law of the land, so the fact that this problem is so rampant is disgusting. Stuntmen have been around since the beginning of film, and the idea that people have trouble separating the man from stuntman is a particularly frightening one. The article puts the onus on female producers to get out there and try to procure some equality for female stuntmen, but the fact is that a few woman producers standing up for other women can't cause widespread change. There needs to be a significant attitude adjustment, an adjustment away from bigotry and towards the belief that all men are created equal, do their tasks equally, and should be paid equally.
Every time I read an article like this, it makes me question why I am going into the entertainment industry, but this discrimination is everywhere. Over the summer I spoke to a female CMU alumnus who said that the best way to get through the discrimination against women in our industry is to just ignore it. That should not be the answer! I am so tired of being paid less, and doing equal or even better work than my peers. Just because I was born with breasts and a vagina does not mean that it my life should be harder. Let's look at this objectively for a second: this is the equivalent to "separate but equal." It should be illegal to pay two people in the same position different wages. I don't know why it isn't... I’m hoping there is some progress within the next few years because I want to get into the film industry when I graduate. Otherwise, best of luck to me and the other women who are going to have a hell of a time paying off loans.
It is unfortunate to note this decline in female dominance of cinema, forcing us to reanalyze the biases that come all too easily, even in the 21st century. This issue goes beyond the entertainment industry, for in a place like CMU, female engineers are still looked upon differently than women. A friend who is in an extracurricular in the engineering department is still given odd glances when she enters a room full of male students. One would think it would end there, but the comments she receives or the amazement on their faces when she uses power tools is far too obvious. Whether we like it or not, our society is dominated prejudices that have existed for centuries, and through the unwavering pursuit of breaking gender boundaries, hopefully the strange looks and disbelieving expressions will fade with time.
It is very sad to hear that women in the film industry are still being discriminated against. We are at a time where universal skill shouldn't come to a surprise to anyone. If a female stunt coordinator has the skill and knows how to work and be safe, then there is no reason why she shouldn't "get the job", unless someone else is more qualified. But not because she is a woman. Also their pay needs to be considered or ya know what, put a man in a dress and use him as an actress's stunt double... Realize how absurd that sounds. Shows the equal important of women in the film industry.
It is quite infuriating that this is still an issue that is taking so much of our time, effort, energy, brain power… when people just need to understand: Equal work means equal pay. If a stuntwoman is working the same hours and doing the same stunts as a stuntman, there is no logical reason why she should be paid less. As the article explains, this is part of a much bigger problem in Hollywood (and much of the entertainment industry) with the amount of diversity and equality behind the camera. The lack of female producers and directors is intrinsically related to the issue of equal pay – it is all stemming from a problematic history of sexism in Hollywood that has proven difficult to uproot. Studies have been done, people have voiced frustration, but how much has been done? How much can be done in a short time? Part of the issue here is that this isn’t a problem that can be solved by laws and regulations alone, many of which are already in place. This is an issue of changing mindsets, which can be a arduous process.
I was aware of the unequal pay in the entertainment industry for women, what had never occurred to me was the gender difference for the stunt work. I remember growing up I would try to work on my falls, and tumbles because I knew that as a career opportunity. Of course it takes more than just being able to take a fall, there is a certain style and technique to it all. That and I’m sure some extensive training is required. It if were me I would want to do my own stunts. Going back to the fact that guys would wear drag and do the stunt for the woman is a little messed up. The incentive they had was more pay. I would have figured that a woman would portray a woman, and a man a man. As seeing that the job culture back then was much different than it is now, doesn’t make it as surprising, it just never occurred to me for that particular area of work there would be a deficit like that.
It is incredibly frustrating that, after all this time, women are still being discriminated against in the film industry. It seems like no matter how many steps society takes forward toward equality, it is still miles and miles away from actually achieving it. It's particularly annoying that this is still happening in the entertainment industry, since the arts are typically more accepting and less discriminatory than other fields. Someday, men and women will receive equal pay for equal work in every position, but that day is still a very long way away.
Stuntwomen and men are not always talked about in the industry, with their work being, well, meant to be unnoticed if its done right. But I'm glad someone highlighted this injustice. It is disgusting to me that we can live in a country that prides itself on bring equal, when unequal pay still happens. There is no justification for unequal pay. If the work is equivalent, the pay hould be, too, no questions asked. And especially hard work like this, why even question it.
I hope people continue to bring up the unequal pay issue, bring it up until industries and companies are ashamed, and until it is the status quo to perpetuate women jsut as much as men.
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