Many students start their undergraduate education in a direction that they later decide they aren’t meant for. These young adults may be pressured into one area because they believe it is safe or because of pressure from others. UNC undergraduates often come into the school with hopes of going into science or technology, only to find a passion somewhere else.
There are systematically barriers to many career fields, which could stop people from following a passion when deciding a work force to enter or college major to strive for.
There is an abundance of job opportunities in film. These may include producers, directors, editors, screenwriters, cinematographers and crew members. The film industry, whether it be Avant Gard cinema or straight-up Hollywood, requires certain types of people to fill these positions.
If someone feels passionate about film, but does not see themselves falling into one of these categories, they might be deterred from the field altogether.
Some people are considered to be eligible in all of these categories, some may only be eligible for one or two, and others face barriers that make it less likely to fall into any, restricting their path.
Even if someone does fall into one of these categories, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be as successful as others. In this business, sometimes talent and credentials are not enough.
These people may face challenges that others have never thought or worried about. Women are a great example of this because they are systematically less likely to be in film careers which contributes to the perceived barriers that women face when deciding whether to even bother with the field.
The Sundance Institute and Women In Film alongside the Los Angeles Women Filmmakers Initiative did an independent study called Exploring the Barriers and Opportunities for Independent Women Filmmakers. The study was through the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism in conjunction with the University of Southern California. This particular study took a closer look at the specific barriers to women in film that may hinder their careers.
The study concluded that the factors that negatively affect women’s careers in film are gendered financial barriers (43.1%), male dominated networks (39.2%), stereotyping on set (15.7%), work and family balance (19.6%), and exclusionary hiring decisions (13.7%).
Since women can sense an industry that is rooted against them, these conclusions pertain to the overall representation of women in film by the numbers.
Gender is not a valid reason to be statistically doomed in a career path. If the passion is there, everything should be of equal chance. Women should strive to break these statistics by showing innovation and bringing creative problem solving on set and in all of their professional pursuits.
https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/MDSCI_2013_Exploring-The-Barriers.pdf