In France, 23% of film directors are women

Whether in creative or management positions, women are still underrepresented in the film and audiovisual sector. The findings of the study "Women in music and cinema in Europe" - that highlighted the existence of a "sexual division of labor” in the cultural sector - are echoed by the CNC report. Women are most dominant in the professions perceived as more feminine, such as wardrobe designer (87.2 %) or script supervisor (98.1%), while they still remain relatively scarce in technical positions (they represent only 9% of sound crews, for example).

The same is true for women’s presence in positions of higher responsibility in production management. Men account for over three-quarters of top managers in audiovisual production companies, and nearly 80% in film production companies.

However, the data about filmmaking are promising. This is one of the main conclusions of the CNC report commissioned by French Ministers of Culture and Women’s Rights, in line with the Gender Equality Charter in the Movie Industry signed in 2013. Women directors are now 23% against 18.4 % in 2008. Moreover, the number of movies directed by women grew by 41.9 % between 2008 and 2012, compared with 9.9% of those made by male ones in the same period. The balanced deployment of assistant directors (with 50.8% of women) marks another improvement.

Nevertheless, filmmaking positions are the ones with the widest gender pay gap: female directors get paid an average hourly wage which is lower by 31.5% compared to that received by their male counterparts.

Find out more :

Read the report on the CNC website (available in French)