I'm British but of English Chinese-Jamaican descent. She adds: "I'm proudly of mixed-race heritage. "I just didn't see it coming that my gender would be an issue. I think that happens in lots of industries. If she doesn't handle that, I do think that the next female director that comes in will have their work cut out, which is ridiculous because I'm pretty sure that if a male director messes up, they don't go, 'Oh, we mustn't work with a man again.' It doesn't happen. "But what happens is, if they've never hired a woman director and you do a bad job, that often colours people's perceptions of female directors. But I remember feeling, because I wasn't known to everybody, the weight of: 'If I f**k this up, no other female directors are going to get hired on a second season.' I remember feeling that and being really pissed off that I have this kind of weight of other women directors. "On a job relatively recently, it was quite a male-driven show, and it had almost all male heads of departments, who were all amazing and incredibly supportive. It would also eliminate a less tangible but equally disruptive force that acts as a barrier to women's progression in traditionally male dominated fields, such as directing. According to a report published by the Directors Guild of America, the percentage of women directing the more than 4,300 episodes of television during the 2019-2020 season increased from 31% to 34% (via the LA Times).īut that, while promising, is not parity, and if the support structures that China discusses were commonplace across the board, that figure would be even higher. The numbers are showing signs of positive change. Do they take time out to have a kid? Or do they not have a kid at all? Or when they do have a kid, they take a few years out, and then they can't get back in as easily."īillie Piper in Secret Diary of a Call Girl ITV All the female directors I know have had those considerations. But it needs to fundamentally change from that setup of assuming that you've got another partner who will look after your family. "I think the way the film and TV industry is geared is shifting. For whatever reason, they might have a partner who can't give up their time, or they don't want to hire a nanny 24/7. "A lot of women who are directing are put off because they don't have a house-husband. "When you hire a female director who has children, their needs and wants will be different to a male director who has a missus at home who looks after the kids," she adds. The Office for National Statistics also looked at the period between March 28 and April 26 last year as part of its Time Use survey, and discovered that men were carrying out more than an hour less housework and childcare than women every day, despite taking on more responsibilities. What do we need to offer right off the bat? I think that's as important for keeping people in the industry, to know that it's sustainable, particularly for women."Ĭhina cites a recent example where women have shouldered most of the load: "In the pandemic, so much of the home-schooling has sort of fallen into the lap of women, and care-giving too."ħ5% of the world's unpaid care work – household chores and looking after children and elderly relatives – is carried out by women, according to Caroline Criado Perez's book Invisible Women. Offering that woman director – and I hate the moniker of having 'female' put in front of the word 'director' – a nanny in South Africa, or flying the kids out with her. "The big thing is childcare and making hours more friendly. And that's the case with every department. ![]() It's why we have loads of assistant directors that are women on set, and then there's a gap. ![]() "It's really important because it's why lots of women leave the industry. "Since I've had a child, I've been very consciously vocal about things I need as a mother, because that trickles down to all the departments," she explains. The challenge is greater, not just when it comes to breaking through those first barriers, but staying there once you've tussled your way in. The fact that she has carved out a career for herself in this industry is not only testament to her skill and vision, but also to her tenacity.
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