Variety: For a long time, I thought, “I’m never going to go with the excuse that being a woman makes any difference.” But what that meant was, I internalized it if anything went wrong. I would think it was my fault. I would just think, “I screwed up,” even if everyone was happy with my work and it was only something I noticed. But now, the last few years, I’ve had many male crew members tell me, “They treat you differently. If a man had made that suggestion they would have acted on it. They treat you worse.”
3 comments:
I'm continually blown away by the fact that anyone involved in an artistic industry really has no perception of the massive amounts of gender inequality that exist amongst their industry. I wonder if the problem is simply that there are so many white men involved at this point it's almost customary and incredibly normalized to only hire other white men in the first place. Whatever school is giving out degrees to the producers and directors on TV that end up only ever hiring other white men needs a massive overhaul. I'm thankful to be in this program where articles like this are constantly posted to the blog as a reminder when we end up in hiring situations. It really just is so important that diversity is considered in any hiring process and that gender inequality is at the forefront of everyones mind both in tv and movies as well as on the stage, as we've seen repeated accounts of women suffering because of their male bosses in these industries.
It is infuriating to me the sheer level of inequality that exists in any industry in this day and age, and the fact that people are unaware of it or choose to ignore it because “that’s the way it is” is ludicrous. TV and movie production has been and still is a boys club, and the numbers and attitude of individuals who control the industry indicate that there clearly is not a desire to change the way they work. What I do not understand is how they have gotten away with it for this long. How do those who have been wronged by the behavior not realize that what is going on is illegal? When the ACLU representative had to point out to the author that the stories she was telling were illegal, how do you not know? And how can we as women in the arts begin to push the boundaries against the “that’s the way it is”.
That is my one problem with this article. It presents the problem and offers no solution, no call to action. What can we as women in the industry do to push past these stereotypes to become successful and still lead normal lives?
This article is just plain sad. A couple things to note about it are significant, however. First, and really just a side note, but this is a clear example of why Hollywood and the TV world are not the places that will be leading the change. The theatrical world will have to take the helm if we are going to see ourselves reach this new level. But, in terms of conquering the institutional patriarchy and racism that is rampant in our entertainment industry, we must look to some of the discussion points in this article. To the women artists, it is clear that they cannot let up if they have a hope of having the career that they deserve to have. To the men of the millennial and subsequent generations, we must educate ourselves on this issue. The institution is the product of the work of generations before us. What is crazy to me is that I know how to make an older, established man of the industry look at me and see me for my potential, which is exactly the issue expressed here. I know that if I were in the position of show-runner or administration of a television show, I would do whatever I could to combat this issue. I do not have the faith that the people currently in those positions have that power. I will use my place as a man in society to combat this issue, and somehow pair that with my own career. We must also call for diversity initiatives, as much as it is disgusting that we still require them. Our world will not change if our entertainment does not change, and our entertainment will not change unless we change its creators. Let's keep brainstorming ways that we can band together to do that. I have faith in our young generation of artists.
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