Behind The Scenes

Who are the people working behind the camera - the directors, producers?

Women's Media Center, an organization that advocates for women in the media, conducted a study on female representation in occupations considered "behind-the-scenes" work. It focused both on news broadcasting shows and TV dramas. The jobs included were among directors, producers, writers, etc.

The study found that women comprised only 25% of these jobs in the 2010-2011 TV season. With TV and movies being a primary source of media and heavily influential in our society, these statistics are worrisome.

The study found that movies or TV shows with at least one woman in an influential occupation, like director or producer, were more likely to have a more equitable representation of female characters. The way women are perceived through the media is highly influenced by the people producing the media and this study shows that having female representation is a vital factor.

How else do you think female representation behind the scenes might affect the media we consume?