TORONTO – Women are underrepresented at nearly all levels of production in Canada’s film and television industry, according to a new report from Canadian Unions for Equality on Screen (CUES).
Using industry statistics and data collected from unions representing workers in front of and behind the camera – such as ACTRA, DGC, IATSE, and NABET – the CUES “Focus on Women 2013 report” found that the division of labour in these industries is highly gendered.
Technical positions are overwhelmingly male dominated, while women are concentrated in areas that are traditionally considered to be “women’s work” such as hair, makeup and wardrobe, script supervision, publicity and office and administrative jobs.
The report found that gender balance is more common in entry-level positions within departments, and that men tend to progress to “decision making levels” and income brackets at higher rates than women.
In addition, female performers have fewer work opportunities than their male counterparts, earn considerably less, and men’s careers last longer.
“What is particularly striking is the lack of equality in those key creative positions that define Canadian content,” said ACTRA national president Ferne Downey, one of CUES founders, in a release. “We know that a gender imbalance behind the screen shapes the stories we see on the screen. It’s incumbent on our industry to take action to change this employment imbalance.”
The report, which is described as the first study of its kind, also makes several suggestions for action, including encouraging greater sharing of gender based data and developing a gender equality checklist for production.
“Focus on Women 2013 is groundbreaking on many levels,” said Dr. Amanda Coles, the report’s author. “It’s the first comprehensive, gender-based analysis of the screen industry workforce. Second, it shows without question that there is a serious gender-gap in our industry. And finally, it’s a marker against which we can measure future success… because the challenge now is to make change.”
