Women Writers?

The bias that still exists within the film and television industry toward women is, for a lack of a better word – odd. The fact that writing positions are still type-casted also seems simply wrong. Women novelists and scholars have been able to experience great success in the last several decades. Any stereotypes of males being better writers or thinkers seems to have faded fast. Without a name on the cover of a novel, would you truly know if it was a male or female writing the book? For what reason than, do executives still think women writers will not add as much as male writers when developing television series? While the financial pressure of succeeding is a large burden, and the safest way to alleviate this would be to follow the systematic formula that has been in place; denying female writers too much involvement seems archaic none the less.

However, even more troubling than their minority status in the television writing community is this fact according to Bielby and Bielby, “empirical results…show that compared to male television writers of similar age, experience, and track record, women earn 11 to 25 percent less throughout their careers.” Such statistics say that when women are finally hired, they are looked down upon as less valuable to the studio, or simply are undeserving of the payment their male counterparts receive. This statistic was recorded in 1992, and I have to hope that it has been alleviated in the years since. However, I know this to not be the case. Such statistics are common place across many different professions. How can women become franchised when they are systematically devalued? The only solution lies in women rising to the executive level and then franchising themselves. Good thing they have already started.