The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain recently commissioned a report which suggests the number of female writers working for film and television in the UK has not improved in the last 10 years.
highlights the shocking statistic that only one in 10 feature films is written chiefly by a woman, the figure dropping even lower for those with a budget greater than £10m – to just one in 14.
The Guild is calling for change in the industry and having worked in post 16 education I can see the problems start when students are young. Better information and guidance as well as aspiring female role models are needed in the classroom in order to inspire the next generation of female writers. However, attitudes in film and television studios need to change, diversity needs to be respected and sort out whilst opportunities must be for all, regardless of gender or any other barrier to success.
Hollywood has been under fire for a number of years regarding its gender equality and hit the headlines recently when Patty Jenkins, director of feature film ‘Wonder Woman’, called out the industry on its record of female directors. In the UK, Fleabag, Happy Valley and Ordeal By Innocence are among the few TV shows to be written by women.
Writer and presenter Sandi Toksvig is also among those to give her support to the campaign, saying: “There is no shortage of talented women writers in the UK, and therefore no excuse that so few of them are getting commissions in film and TV.”
Screenwriter Kay Mellor said: “It’s criminal that I can count on one hand how many women signature writers there are on TV right now. Sometimes it takes a collective to say – ‘this is not fair’ and it’s not. It’s time things changed.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44209815
JD
The Equality Blog 