21.8% gender pay gap in radio, TV and film reflects danger of ‘predominately male, middle-aged, white workforce’, says new study
A 21.8% gender pay gap in Australian broadcasting, and 80% of radio presenters being men, impacts the diversity of newsrooms and the proliferation of harmful stereotypes, a new University of South Australia study has found.
The analysis of the country’s radio, TV and film industries uncovered “entrenched gender and diversity imbalance” at the most senior levels, and warned of the dangers of a “predominately male, middle-aged, white workforce projecting their views on Australia”.
The gender imbalance in creative industries reinforces power imbalances and social and economic inequality, the study proposes
Although breakfast radio reaches 86% of Australians over 14, women over 45 are absent from radio roles, the study said. Women outnumber men in radio journalism roles, but a vast majority of on-air presenters are male, and a very low proportion of women are employed in content production positions.
The report found that just 1.2% of women journalists earn more than $144,000 a year, compared to 9.8% of men.
And these patterns are replicated globally. In 2017, only one third of the BBC’s top-earning talent were women. Its seven highest-paid talent were all men.
Professor Susan Luckman, the lead author of the study and a professor in cultural and creative industries at the University of South Australia, said creative industries have “a notorious reputation for employing people on the basis of who they know”, leading to a lack of diversity.
“On the surface, there may seem to be diversity, especially in terms of gender, but when it comes to seniority and job security this is certainly not the case,” she said.
“Men still overwhelming dominate the senior roles in film, television and radio. This has clear implications for a diversity of stories and voices.”
The most recent statistics, from 2016, reveal that men dominated every senior role across radio, TV and film – producer, director of photography, actor, radio and TV presenter, stage directors, technical directors, and editors. The only roles in which women outnumbered their male counterparts were in artistic direction.
“Homophily – managers preferring and hiring employees just like them – only serves to replicate and reinforce the existing lack of diversity,” Professor Luckman said, adding that this means stereotypes about women, older people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people with disabilities persist because they are rarely challenged.
Some key stakeholders such as the ABC, SBS and Screen Australia have actively addressed broadcasting’s lack of diversity, Professor Luckman noted.
“For profound change to occur, it will require a more diverse workforce at the top levels and a real commitment to challenging the culture,” she said.
“There are no quick fixes here.”
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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Yep, definitely a gender pay gap in radio when the male breakfast announcer at a regional commercial station gets around $45,000 a year plus 15% shift penalty for less than half the shift and 9.5% super while the female breakfast announcer at the ABC just up the road gets over $80,000 a year plus 15% shift penalty for the entire shift and 15.4% super …
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So, a generation of female boomers freely chose to not pursue a career in media, and now that generation of men who worked their way to the top is “problem” that needs to be fixed? Surely the flood of Gen-X and Z’er females entering the industry will correct this naturally without social engineering and the destruction of genuine meritocracy.
Plus, the media’s views are hardly problematic to the woke agenda. Patriarchal tropes are long gone. Sounds like a whine about very little.
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“Professor of cultural and creative industries”
Really?
Where can I get one of those?
Obviously to qualify for this doctorate I’d need to agree that white middle aged men are the problematic stereotype to which this “study” gallingly refers.
The other stereotype that comes to mind is the flimsy assertions that are passed off as legitimate research by post-modern anti-intellectual Marxists who created and dominate faux academic fields for purely political reasons.
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The ABC have traditionally paid more than their commercial counterparts on regional areas. A simple look at the job ads will tell you that. Good luck with finding a female breakfast announcer at a regional station on $80k a year.
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How much does the female breakfast announcer get at the regional commercial station?
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Thanks for sharing this study @Mumbrella! Awareness and measurement alone makes an impact. Women over 45 are likely at the top of their game too. Let’s all work for some shifts.
I do also believe that there are biases between regional and metro areas too for all kinds of issues including marketing, despite audience sizes being similar at times. However, if we can get the gender issues sorted first the rest will start to flow.
Now is the time for all of us to shift from activism to ‘do-ism’ – Time to do stuff, not rant about the problems. We have the facts now – it isn’t a made up thing. Let’s make the processes that cause this accountable.