by Weiden + Kennedy, was one of several
similar events held across the country
, throughout the year, Lukasik was also a
panelist at the event.
Gordon’s work in the movement has
earned her numerous accolades and speaking
“ 8a~
ts «
of audiences a c r e s S
country and abroad. She also writes a
business blog, and in 2013, Advertising Age
m med Gordon one of the Top 10 Women to
There’s a business imperative for
diversity It’s good for profitability,” Gordon
said. And advertising shapes how (people)
feel about their bodies, their health, who
Urey want to vote for, what car they want to
drive This shapes culture. We have to make
sure they get a healthier media diet.”
It’s especially true for what children see-
Accordmg to studies cited by the American
Academy of Pediatrics, the average child is
exposed to more than 40,000 TV
commercials a year.
Today three years into the 3% Conference,
the number of female directors working in
the advertising industry has risen to about 11
percent, according to Gordon’s research. But
that s still not good enough for the young
women who are looking to break into the
more influential and affluent positions
According to the ACLU, the number of
female students in prominent film programs
who are focusing on directing is fairly equal
to men. They’re just not getting hired.
“It’s not a pipeline problem,” Gordon said
in ere are many women working in the
industry, just not getting directorships, she
said.
Rather, the problem is a combination of
gender nuances such as confidence levels
and self-promotion. For example, Gordon
referenced a study that showed that, unlike
men, women often do not apply for positions
unless they m eet all or nearly all the
requirements of the job. Women also are less
likely than men to put themselves forward
for awards, she said. And there is work
experience. It’s hard to get on the popular
lists — lists that circulate among clients — if
you haven’t been hired.
“I call it death by a thousand paper cuts,”>
said Gordon, who has surveyed many women
in the business through her work with the
3% Conference. “There were a lot of small
things that become cumulatively intractable.
There’s an unconscious bias. There’s
difficulty with the unpredictably of the work,
X
if you have kids and are not available for all-
became the first African-American woman to
the camera, it can influence the type of
be appointed principal dancer with the
stories told, the number of lines women
American Ballet Theater. The investment is
“Miss Representation,” the 2011
have, the number of female characters on the
paying off for Under Armour in the
doomientary, is faied with statistics and
screen
and the quality of the discussion ”
marketplace,
Lukasik
said.
studies about the impact of the male-
On the other side of the spectrum, Gordon Goodman said. “When you exclude women
dominated film and television industry.
from behind the camera, it’s not only
recently called out an advertisement by a
Women are underrepresented in movies and
exclusion from employment, but also skewing
oeattle-area real estate company. The
a"h are almost always presented
the actual cultural product we see on our
company’s ad had a split image, comparing a
n e ^ e X ^ ° n aP "
’ POSitiVeOr
screen.”
part-time agent,” portayed as a mom at
The problem isn’t so much straight-up
more often than men
*
home, overwhelmed by
gender discrimination as much as an
shown in sexually
K three unruly children,
unconscious bias, Goodman said. It’s the
revealing clothing, with
to “full-time
notion that it is inherently more risky to hire
! professionals,”
an emphasis on
thinness and sexuality
women, to trust women with bigger-budget
embodied by two men
products and that they won’t be as strong
according to the
in a business setting,
leaders on the s e t The same sort of bias that
documentary sources.
dressed in suits and
holds women back in all sorts of positions,
The popularity of
smiling for the camera.
the film prompted
holds women back in directing, she said.
The message
producer and director
, When it comes to the role of director,
underneath was “Who
Jennifer Siebel
would you rather
most of us still think of a white man That’s
Consumer spending
Newsom to create The
represent you?”
a culturaJ.bias problem,” Goodman said.
influenced by women
Representation Project,
The backlash against
Hirers may not be conscious of the fact that
the ad was so severe,
a multimedia
they prefer white male candidates.”
the company, Costello
educational movement
They are not discriminatory on the face of
& Costello Real Estate
aimed at ending
it, but they have the effect of shutting women
Group, issued a public*
stereotypes, gender or
out, she said.
apology.
otherwise, in media.
Creative directors at U.S. ad
The courts have recognized that when
The consumption of
you have hiring systems based on network
agencies in 2012 who were women
or the ACLU, which
this kind of negative
and word of mouth, they perpetuate bias,”
coi
continues
to collect
imagery has been
Goodman said. “People hire what looks like
stories
from
women
in
linked to physical and
them and the stereotype of who has these
the film, television and
mental health problems
jobs.”
commercial industries,
among women, along
To help young ^bm en “see” their
the issue is one of civil
with low self-esteem
potential, Lukasik has created a job shadow
Creative
directors
at
U.S.
ad
justice.
and confidence levels.
program that gives students access to the
“This is an
agencies today who are women
“That, to me, gets to
world of commercial directing, which means
employment and civil
how women are
making all the creative decisions, giving the
rights issue,” said
portrayed in media,”
Source; The 3% Conference
°F{ ie r s to c rew s a n d a c to rs, a n d g e ttin g
Melissa Goodman with
Lukasik said. “How do
things done post-production.
.
th e ACLU. “T h e
you truly give women
It s very intimidating. It’s very difficult,”
industry is huge, large,
the same chances as
Lukasik said. “I just wanted other filmmakers
important and
men if you are focused so much more on
to have the opportunity to see what it looked
powerful, both in terms of not only
their looks, and everything but their brains?
employing a substantial number of people but like to have a woman directing.”
And that’s what media does. Advertising and
Lukasik is also working with a team to
the product has a tremendously huge cultural
music videos are some of the worst offenders impact. Those two things were why we
produce a public service announcement on
in terms of how women are portrayed in
focused on this. The exclusion of women
the gender inequality issue and the job
media. And if you could have more women in
from a large, profitable and influential
shadow program, hoping more directors get
creative leadership roles, I think that
industry is very important to the ACLU.”
involved and open their sets. The piece,
pendulum would swing the other way.”
It also has a tremendous ripple effect in
which will be animated, is expected to be
As an example of doing it right, Lukasik
our culture, said Goodman, who is the
completed this fall. It’s release will be posted
notes the “I will what I want” campaign by
director of ACLU of Southern California’s
through the 3% Conference social media
Under Armour, which features stron& female
LGBTQ, Gender and Reproductive Justice
feeds.
athletes defying stereotypes and overcoming
Project
“Everybody knows it’s a problem,” she
adversity. A recent installment featured
“There have, been many studies out there
said. “I’m tired of just chatting and talking
ballerina Misty Copeland, who this year
that show that when you have women behind
about it.”
'
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