It’s nothing new to hear that gender discrimination is a problem. What is refreshing is hearing that the government is looking to do something about it—in Hollywood at least.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs responded to ACLU attorney, Melissa Goodman’s request for a look at Hollywood hiring practices. The offices are launching an investigation into “whether gender discrimination is responsible for the dearth of female directors in the entertainment industry,” as “men have vastly outnumbered women on both sides of the camera for decades,” the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Goodman is the director of the LGBTQ, Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California.
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“We’re very encouraged by how seriously the government has taken this,” Goodman stated adding that the investigation will include meetings with directors and other stakeholders in the industry. “Our hope is that they’ll push industry leaders to address the ongoing violations of civil rights women directors in the industry have experienced and are experiencing.”
But there’s a bit of a catch.
Goodman points out that federal investigators are not bound by any timeline and are not obligated to reveal any results or take any action on their findings.
Multiple studies and report cards have confirmed that there is a lack of diversity in Hollywood. This investigation could help better explain the manner in which discrimination is taking place in the entertainment industry.
That is, if they decide to release their findings. Regardless of the outcome, we’re glad to see the conversation at least starting. Only time will tell if this opens the door for more visionaries the likes of Ava DuVernay.
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