UK games industry
Women get a rawl deal in creative media, reckons a report from Skillset.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, 17 September 2010
Women working in the Creative Media Industries are under-represented, underpaid, and more highly qualified than their male counterparts, a new report by Skillset has found.
Women in the Creative Media Industries (attached), which is being launched on Friday, (17 September), provides a comprehensive picture of the imbalances faced by women working in the sector, examining evidence gathered by Skillset since 1999.
Just over half of women (51 per cent) in the Creative Media Industries workforce are aged 35 or over, compared to 64 per cent of men. And, on average, men in the industry earn substantially more than women - £34,669 compared to £29,015.
Representation of women is lowest in interactive content design (5 per cent, in 2009, compared to 32 per cent in 2006) and content for computer games (6 per cent). This is compared with women making up 46 per cent of the UK workforce.
In a three-year period, there was a significant drop in the number of women working in animation – from 34 per cent in 2006 to 20 per cent in 2009.
59 per cent of men working in animation are aged 35 or over – compared to 44 per cent of women. Just 34 per cent of the women working in the content for computer games sector are aged 35 and over, compared with 43 per cent of men.
Skillset’s executive director of policy and development, Kate O’Connor, said: “These statistics point to a significant need for intervention to redress the imbalances between men and women in our industries. We hope that over time Skillset can work with our industries to tackle these issues.”
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For more information contact
Skillset press and PR officer Nick Sheridan on 0207 713 9854 or nicks@skillset.org
Or
Skillset press and PR manager Jennifer Walters on 0207 713 9812 or jenniferw@skillset.org
Out-of-hours: 07827 989 330.
Notes to Editors:
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media, with responsibility for 60 per cent of the UK Creative Industries. This comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging, publishing, advertising and fashion and textiles. SSCs are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenges by sector. They are independent, UK-wide organisations, are employer-led, and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the industry.