Only 27% in European film industry are women
Just 27% of professionals in European film production are women. And gender balance is improving slowly. When comparing the periods 2015–2019 and 2020– 2024, the share of female professionals increased by only 3% in terms of the active population, assignments, and female-led teams, according to a study by the European Audiovisual Observatory, a part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
On average, from 2015 to 2024, the share of women among active European film professionals, of women in film assignments and of female-led teams grew each year by less than one percentage point.
Gender inequality varies according to profession, the study shows. Between 2020 and 2024, the share of female professionals was higher for producers (34%), writers (31%) and editors (30%), the same as the average for directors (27%), but significantly lower for cinematographers (14%) and composers (13%).
“Female professionals seem to be more represented when several professionals work together in one role, as is the case with producer and writing teams.”
“Conversely, women tend to be more underrepresented when the role is generally held by a single professional, e.g. directors, cinematographers or composers.”
“However, even in roles where several professionals are responsible for writing or producing a film, the teams are predominantly led by male professionals. For instance, between 2020 and 2024, female writers accounted for 31% of film scripts, yet female-led teams accounted for just 22% of writing teams overall, compared to 64% for male-led teams.”
“When comparing the average shares of the periods 2015–2019 and 2020– 2024, the share of female professionals increased by only 3% in terms of the active population, assignments, and female-led teams. In 2024, the overall share of active female professionals was 26%, followed by a female share of assignments at 24% and a share of female-led teams at 10%.”
- Comparing the average shares for the periods 2015–2019 and 2020–2024 shows that the share of female directors increased by 3%.
- Roles with a very low female representation, such as composers and cinematographers, saw a slight improvement (+4% and +2% respectively).
- Meanwhile, roles with an above-average share of women, such as producers and screenwriters, increased by 4%.
- However, the share of female editors remained almost unchanged (an increase of just 1%) between these two periods.
The documentary genre has the strongest female presence. On average, documentaries featured a higher proportion of female professionals across all roles than other film genres.
The average growth rates of female presence over the last ten years mean that gender equality would be reached in the following years:
- 2043 for writers,
- 2047 for directors,
- 2061 for composers,
- 2074 for editors and 2077 for female producers. At the current rate, gender
- 2204 for cinematographers
- Taking all roles combined, gender parity in producing European feature films would be achieved by 2047.
However, the study points also to a more encouraging aspect that could help achieve gender parity sooner:
“Women in one role are more likely to work with other women. For example, the share of female writers and producers is significantly higher when the director is a woman, as is the share of works written or produced mainly by women. Progress in one role is therefore likely to have a positive impact on the others.”
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