TV drama marginalising minorities, with Indigenous community the ‘notable exception’, says Screen Australia study
Indigenous representation in Australian TV drama is out-stripping their percentage of the population but non-Europeans are still being significantly marginalised, results of a survey by Screen Australia have revealed.
People with disabilities, the LGBTQI community and those of European background are also under-represented as Australian drama remains dominated by Anglo-Celtic characters.
The diversity study, Seeing Ourselves: Reflections on Diversity in TV drama’ – lauded by Screen Australia as the largest of its kind since television arrived in Australia in 1956 – analysed all 199 dramas that aired between 2011 and 2015.
It found that while making up only 67% of the Australian population, 82% of fictional drama characters were Anglo-Celtic.
Non-Europeans make up 17% of the population, but only 7% of TV drama roles, while 12% of the population are European but make up only 6% of characters.
“A number of Australian minorities and marginalised communities are under-represented in TV drama compared with the population, in particular people of non-European background such as Asian, African and Middle Eastern and people with disabilities,” Screen Australia said in the study.
Europeans are also “significantly under-represented”, it added, singling out Greeks and Italians.
People with disabilities find it equally hard to be represented in line with population size. The year-long study revealed that a paltry 4% of main characters had an identified disability, way below the 18% in the real world.
The LGBTQI community fared slightly better, but were still heavily marginalised on TV, featuring in 5% of roles against an estimated 11% of the population.
The cast of The Family Law
Of all the minority groups and communities found to be under represented a “notable exception” was the number of indigenous characters written into dramas.
The study found that while making up just 3% of the Australian population, there were around 200 indigenous characters of the 1,961 analysed, around 5% of the total.
Despite the widespread marginalisation, Screen Australia said it had identified “appetite for change”.
“Diversity on screens has been a hot topic in recent years both locally and abroad, so in undertaking this milestone study Screen Australia sought to empower the industry with a baseline of data that could become a springboard for change,” said Graeme Mason, chief executive of Screen Australia.
“Throughout the year-long process of completing this study, it is clear there is an appetite for change within the industry and for that change to be authentic rather than than tokenistic.”
Screen Australia said the change in indigenous representation was “no accident”, pointing to the “decades of work” in its own Indigenous Department, the ABC and several production companies.
“You cannot underestimate how powerful it is for indigenous people to turn on the TV and see a face that looms like their own,” Screen Australia head of Indigenous said.
“Whilst overall diversity on Australian screens clearly has a very long way to go, what the indigenous experience shows is when you have indigenous decision makers within funding bodies and broadcasters, coupled with initiatives that support indigenous writers, directors, producers and actors, diversity and good entertainment can be one in the same.”
The report added there is growing evidence that drama has “moved beyond” the stereotyping of minority cultural groups.
The study also looked at the backgrounds of the actors themselves. It found 24% who appeared in TV drama were from diverse cultural backgrounds, higher than the 18% of fictional characters.
That suggested a degree of “blind casting”, where actors are cast in roles with prescribing the actor’s background.
Can’t wait for the next TV drama about the Uzbekistan orphan girl who falls in love with the Butanese ditch digger who’s married to the Congolese shopkeeper who’s got the hots for the Guadalupian pastry chef who, of course, just happens to be a closet gay. Does that tip enough inclusiveness boxes for you? Jeez…give us a break.
User ID not verified.
So? This matches the ethnic ancestry of the Australian population. The role of TV drama is not social engineering, it is entertainment. When it’s the former, it’s on the ABC or SBS, and the viewing audience can be counted on the fingers of both hands. When it’s the latter, it’s entertainment and achieves respectable audiences.
Yes some directors and casting agents could be a little more adventurous in casting, but when it becomes an ethnic box-ticking exercise, it’s tiresome. In advertising the current favourite minorities-workaround is the redhead. The ranga is a ‘minority’, so casting one ticks a box, which is why every second kid you see on TV is a ranga. See how farcical it becomes, so quickly?
User ID not verified.
The 11% figure for LGBTQI seems high to me and inconsistent with alternative data such as Roy Morgan http://www.roymorgan.com/findi.....1506020136
Not looking to stir anything, just looking to match this article with my own understanding and other data, overall an interesting piece
User ID not verified.