UK film industry may achieve gender parity in 2085, study finds

Progress towards gender equality in the UK film industry is slow, a new study whose findings were presented on Tuesday at the Berlin film festival has revealed.

The report, entitled Re-Framing the Picture, examined 12,000 films made between 2005 and 2020 by 34 different countries, but focused on the UK, Germany and Canada when drawing its conclusions.

These were not encouraging: while there have been “modest” numerical improvements resulting from policy drives, including diversity standards introduced as a subsidy requirement, little change in power dynamics is detectable.

On average, the report found that in the UK 78% of all key creative positions were held by men, and 81% of the network elite. In Germany the numbers were 74% and 86%; in Canada 77% and 82%.

At the current rate of progress, a 50% split would be achieved in 2085 in the UK, in 2041 in Germany and 2215 in Canada.

One of the report’s authors, Prof Deb Verhoeven of the University of Alberta, said systemic problems were to blame, which could not simply be fixed by quota policies.

“The film industries do not just need more women, but women in the right positions,” she said. Verhoeven added that “the modest gains made by women and gender minorities have not come at the expense of men [but] have arisen as the result of an expansion of the industry rather than a displacement of men.”

The report suggested future policies required “strong accountability mechanisms, financial incentives, and the ability to actively drive industry change.”

Policy analyst Prof Doris Ruth Eikhof of the University of Glasgow said: “The task now is to mainstream policies that reach into industry practice and create accountability. It is also clear that seeing women as ‘at fault,’ as lacking experience or confidence, is not going to bring the systemic change we need. Women need access to influential positions within the film industry, not just to the industry overall.”