There's still a glass ceiling on the screen based industry in Canada.
The "old boys' club" still commands authority, particularly in the broadcast industry, as well as in film & TV production and distribution sectors.
The "glass ceiling" continues to exist but it has moved up a level of seniority, with more opportunities for women in decision-making roles (but fewer in technical ones).
That's according to Frame Work II: Canada's Screen-Based Workforce, a snapshot of the current employment of equity groups in the context of today's business and technological developments, released today by Women in Film and Television - Toronto (WIFT-T).
Gender-based disparities in average earnings persist across the screen-based industries, which may be the result of a greater proportion of women in lower paid positions.
The study's results show that while there has been some progress in the representation of most designated groups in screen-based industries, such progress does not always keep pace with Canada's overall workforce.
Prepared by Nordicity Group, the study looks at workforce trends in film and television production, film and television distribution, broadcasting, and interactive digital media, with a particular focus on women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups.
"We need to monitor gender balance and diversity in the screen-based industries, because broader participation from all equity groups can only encourage and result in more innovation," said Heather Webb, WIFT-T Executive Director. "Having an inclusive hiring strategy can lead to more diverse content, which is a great competitive advantage from a business point of view."
The report brings to light challenges and opportunities for employers, emerging professionals, educators, and key decision-makers.
"This research has many concrete benefits to government and agencies such as the OMDC. Having timely and accurate data on the screen-based industries' workforce enables us to be well-informed and remain nimble in our capacity to assist the industries in their strategic growth," added Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.
Other findings contained in the report:
-Training is not a panacea for hiring or for progressing further in one's career in the relationship and project experience-driven screen-based industries. Designated groups must work proactively to improve their career management skills.
-The market is an effective driver of change when a compelling business case can be made about the connection between a more diverse workforce/more diverse content and an increase in sales and enhanced competitiveness.
-"Work-life balance" is the workplace issue identified as the most significant in terms of its impact on recruitment and career progression across the screen-based industries.
-Members of designated groups still face great challenges in overcoming negative perceptions about their abilities in the workplace.
Frame Work II was commissioned by Women in Film & Television - Toronto and presented in partnership with the Foundation for Women in Film & Television - Toronto, the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Quebecor Fund, with support from Telefilm Canada, the Canadian Media Production Association and the Directors Guild of Canada - Ontario.
The study was led by Nordicity Group Ltd. Data collection was undertaken by Environics Research through the WIFT-T worker-level and company-level online surveys, deployed in June and July of 201I. Targeted interviews with key stakeholders from the screen-based industries, and secondary research were conducted by Nordicity.
Frame Work II is an update of WIFT-T's 2004 report, Frame Work: Employment in Canadian Screen-based Media - A National Profile, which fuelled industry-wide dialogue and contributed to policy and programming developments within the sector.
Women in Film & Television - Toronto (WIFT-T) is a not-for-profit professional organization that supports women in screen-based media-film, television and digital media-to build, advance and sustain their careers nationally and internationally.