"Closing the Gap: Women in Entertainment" Survey Presented by CNBC and LinkedIn Finds Women in the Entertainment Industry are Hopeful for Change, but Not There Yet
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., October 29, 2018 — CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, and LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, today announced the results of their latest "Closing the Gap" survey. Earlier this year, CNBC and LinkedIn examined the finance industry (link.) For the second iteration of this ongoing series of surveys, CNBC and LinkedIn focused on women working in the entertainment industry. Together, they polled over 1,000 LinkedIn users who work in entertainment to examine gender disparities within the industry.
Key findings from the "Closing the Gap: Women in Entertainment" survey presented by CNBC and LinkedIn include:
- Women cite inequality in pay, promotions – While equal pay is mandated by law, 26% of women (52% of men) agree with the statement, "At my company men and women working at the same level are paid the same." 36% of women (57% of men) say men and women are promoted at an equal rate.
- Gender discrimination visible, but many women are not comfortable reporting harassment – 35% of females have witnessed gender discrimination in the workplace, compared to 23% of males. 76% of females believe women feel uncomfortable reporting harassment, compared to 63% of males.
- Women are met with challenges, feel less likely to become industry leaders – 79% of females agree there are obstacles in the workplace that make it challenging for women, compared to 56% of males. 33% of women agree men and women are equally likely to become leaders in their industry, compared to 49% of men.
- What are the challenges? – Half of respondents reported the biggest challenge hindering women is an unsupportive or biased corporate culture (according to 49% of men and 50% of women.) Additionally, 14% of respondents believe the biggest obstacle is a lack of female leadership.
- The solutions – 68% of females believe studios and productions need to give female directors and writers more opportunities, compared to 48% of males. 30% of females believe the number of female movie critics needs to increase, compared to 18% of males. 25% of women and 24% of men believe encouraging executives to be more outspoken on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is the most important step in fostering a more equal workplace. 22% of females believe creating more opportunities for mentorship and/or sponsorship is the best way to foster a more inclusive workplace, compared to 16% of males. 21% of all respondents say the most important step is to encourage both recruiters and casting directors to consider talent from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- The future – Men and women agree that the industry will move in a more equal direction, with 71% of all respondents agreeing the industry will shift towards more equal representation in the next ten years. However, younger men and women of both sexes are more optimistic than older workers: young women are the most optimistic (78% say they expect that change) followed by young men (74%.) 69% of men and 62% of women said the #MeToo and #TimesUP movements will have lasting effects. Still, 17% of respondents said the movement will result in short-term change only.
The LinkedIn online member survey was conducted between September 18, 2018 and September 28, 2018 with 1,010 professionals working in the entertainment industry in the United States. Respondents self-identified their gender and were invited at a random basis.
CNBC Senior Media and Entertainment Reporter Julia Boorstin and LinkedIn Managing News Editor Caroline Fairchild will reveal the results of the "Closing the Gap: Women in Entertainment" survey presented by CNBC and LinkedIn today, Monday, October 29th on CNBC's "Squawk Box" (M-F 6AM – 9AM.) Boorstin will continue reporting on the survey throughout CNBC's Business Day programming and online at CNBC.com. Fairchild will post additional coverage on LinkedIn's platforms. For more information on the survey, including the full results, methodology, and in-depth articles, go to: https://www.cnbc.com/closing-the-gap/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinefairchild/.
Join the conversation on LinkedIn (CNBC, LinkedIn), Twitter (CNBC, LinkedIn), and Facebook (CNBC, LinkedIn) using #ClosingtheGap.
For more information contact:
CNBC
Jennifer Dauble
201-735-4721
jennifer.dauble@nbcuni.com
LinkedIn
Ashley Levey
212-615-9338
anerz@linkedin.com
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About LinkedIn:
LinkedIn connects the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, market and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world's first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 560 million members and has offices around the globe.