Gender Inequality and Screenwriters
A study of the impact of gender on equality of opportunity for screenwriters and key creatives in the UK film and television industries. Supported by the Writers Guild of Great Britain and ALCS.
A study of the impact of gender on equality of opportunity for screenwriters and key creatives in the UK film and television industries. Supported by the Writers Guild of Great Britain and ALCS.
The report on gender inequality among screenwriters reveals that only 16% of all working screenwriters in UK films between 2005 and 2016 were female, while women accounted for 28% of television episodes during the same period. Female screenwriters face significant barriers to career progression, with women being less likely to write multiple films compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, women are more often limited to specific genres and lower-budget films, and despite the fact that female-written films are generally more positively received by audiences and critics, they struggle to secure opportunities in high-budget projects.
In television, the representation of female writers is higher but remains insufficient, with prime-time television showing particularly low female representation. Women are frequently pigeonholed into writing genres like children's programming and continuing drama series, while genres such as comedy and light entertainment show even fewer opportunities for female writers. Despite the slightly better representation in television, the overall trend points to systemic challenges that limit women's access to high-prestige, higher-paid work.
The report suggests that unconscious bias and systemic issues within the film and television industries perpetuate these gender disparities. It highlights the need for further data collection, regulatory changes, and diversity targets to address the barriers that women face in both industries. The report concludes by calling for concerted efforts to tackle the unconscious biases that limit female representation in screenwriting and other creative roles.
