The lack of female writers in British film and TV is producing a “self-sustaining loop” that perpetuates the gender imbalance, it has been claimed, after a study revealed women write 28% of TV episodes and make up 16% of film screenwriters.
A report commissioned by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) gathered data for more than 10 years to identify a continuing bias and systemic gender inequality in the two industries.
The guild, which represents professional writers across all genres, hopes the figures will shock TV and film commissioners – especially those who spend public funds – into working harder for equality.
Olivia Hetreed, the WGGB president best known for adapting the screenplay for the 2003 film Girl with a Pearl Earring, said: “I have been asked about the dearth of female screenwriters in this country ever since my first feature film put me into that endangered species bracket.
“I and others were reassuring: ‘It’s just a matter of time. It’s getting better. It will work itself out.’ But more than a decade later this new research shows that the number of women writing films has flatlined at abjectly low levels.”
The Band of Gold screenwriter Kay Mellor said the current dearth of female signature writers for British TV was “criminal”. “Sometimes it takes a collective to say ‘this is not fair’ and it’s not,” she said. “It’s time things changed.”
The WGGB report found that:
• 16% of all writers credited on at least one UK feature film between 2005-16 were female (526 out of 3,310 writers).
• 11% of films were predominantly female-written, while 21% had at least one female writer.
• 28% of all UK TV episodes between 2001-16 were predominantly female-written.
• 14% of primetime programming was predominantly female-written. The figure for morning programming is 27%.
The report points to evidence showing that films and TV shows written by women get a more positive critical and audience reception than those written by men. These female-penned favourites include Victoria (written by Daisy Goodwin), Call the Midwife (Heidi Thomas), and Happy Valley (Sally Wainwright).
Gail Renard, the WGGB’s chair, appealed directly to commissioners. “All we’re asking for is a meritocracy for all writers regardless of gender, race, disabilities, or class. Let us into the meetings. Read our pitches. Work with us. We have glorious stories to tell. Let us tell them,” she said.
Gender inequality in the UK’s screen industries is not new, but its continued entrenchment will shock many people.. Earlier this year, 76 writers signed an open letter of protest after ITV revealed its 2018 drama programme had one female writer and eight men.
The WGGB has launched a campaign demanding action against inequality, Equality Writes, supported by writers including Sandi Toksvig, Jack Thorne and Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti.
