“Data is merciless.” This is how it starts, leaving us with very little hope, Nicola Borrelli Director General of the Film and Audiovisual Division of the Ministry of Culture. The figures he refers to are consistent with the first report prepared by the Meek Observatory on gender equality in the world of culture: something that theoretically should be more open and avant-garde. Exactly, must: Industries such as ballet, museums or music are in a terrible state (then we’ll get there) and despite efforts, film and television are not exactly exemplary.
So there is still a long way to go, not to say a very long one, even if there is a real revolution, as he rightly points out. Christina Comenchini. Speaking at the presentation, the director invites us to consider the point from which we started: absolute zero. “Before, women didn’t exist in any area, now instead we’re coming in en masse everywhere,” she explains. “Are we few? This part.” Therefore, in his opinion, one should not despair, but take into account that there is a revolution. “Of course, the authorities would not want us to do this, but we are here to prevent this. The main thing is to stay on the right track, and we will have to stay there for a long time.” Ours also claim a special femininity: “We are not fighting to be like men, but to have the same importance in society as they do.”
It resonates with them Lucia Borgonzoni. The Deputy Minister of MIC hopes that the story of the heroines will be included in school textbooks so that students will have more role models. “However, women should be offered not as women, but as people who have gone down in history,” she notes. Now that we’re a bit self-motivated, let’s move on to the “relentless data” above. Let’s start with ballet: a world that on paper seems to scream “only women”. Well, it’s not. “Dance is in the hands of male choreographers, the directors of dance companies around the world are mostly men,” he denounces. Eleanor Abbagnato who does not hesitate to call himself “one of the few exceptions”. If you want a percentage, he gives it to you on a silver platter. Tamara Rojodirector of the English National Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet: according to her information, 90% of the artistic conception of ballets is in the hands of men.
It’s not the best for theatre. For example, look for a woman who runs a permanent theater: you will not find it. Not to mention the theme of violence, which would almost be legitimized on the sacred stage of the theater. Cinzia Spano, founder and current member of the Amleta Association, claims that the Vulgate wants theater actresses to be “available and sterile”. An eerie combination that speaks for itself and spawned a social media campaign last year. Opening Bluebeard’s Chambersaimed at collecting data and information on cases of abuse and violence.
Chapter Music: the same litany. Alanis Morrisette herself has already stated that “there is anti-female sentiment in the music industry”, also denouncing the undeclared abuses. Mikrok’s search accompanies the complaint with data: quantity women making music; the share of female singers halts at 30%, and in Italy, female songwriters and songwriters make up only 10% of the total signatures. A completely depressing scene.
The only ones who are busy are film and television. Here, as expected, something is changing, but that is what takes time. Say, in 2022 in Italy the share female directors it is 19%: one percentage point more than in 2021. It’s not much, but still something. However, as budgets increase, this share tends to drop to zero: blockbusters continue to wear pants.
Then there is the eternal question of wage inequality which is great precisely in those industries dominated by men. Let’s say in the departments Costume designers, scenographers and decoratorswhere women mostly work, there is no difference in wages. Men and women have the same wages. Wages fall sharply (by default) in sectors such as directing or screenwriting, where the gap is on average €81 per working day (base year 2021, Mic-UCSC processing based on Inps data).
The study is full of such scenarios, but two chasms are particularly striking that relate to small screen. Let’s start with the fact that there are physically few women on the air. Of course, many of them are strong and successful: one name is above all, Maria DeFilippibut we could also quote Milly Carlucci or Federica Panicucci. However, according to an analysis by Mic, which analyzed 1,700 broadcasts, the presence of women in sports programs is only 15.8%, in cultural programs – 32.4%, and in news programs – 37.7%. If we consider entertainment programs instead, the representation of women stops at 40.2% (not even half…), which increases very little in fiction: 41.9%.
O TV serial. You know the elusive speech about stories that rejuvenate women, about the fight against stereotypes and about the singing company? Well, the numbers tell a different story, if it’s true that 85% of the roles of characters who take care of the house are assigned to women, and if you have to play engineers, IT specialists, politicians, administrators, then the percentage drops to 19%. Not only. Apparently, we do not even have the right to a department: 64% of men are in the positions of teachers and professors, as well as in the positions of doctors and medical workers (men – 74.8%, women – 25.1%).
So, yes: we are making a revolution. We shouldn’t despair, it’s true, but a little depression at this point is physiological…
Source: Elle