Three In Four Editors Guild Members Say They Believe Workplace Discrimination Occurs “Often” Or “Sometimes”

A recent membership survey conducted by the Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700, found that 76.6% of respondents believe that discrimination occurs “often” or “sometimes” in the workplace. Only 4.5% said they believe discrimination “never” happens on the job, while 16.7% said they think it “rarely” occurs.

The survey also found that just 6.1% of female members who responded said they felt safe in reporting discrimination to a superior or to Human Resources, compared with 37% of males who felt safe in doing so.

The survey, which was published in the latest issue of the guild’s magazine, CineMontage, drew responses from 3,583 members — nearly half of the guild’s total membership.

It found that men account for more than two-thirds of the guild’s membership, and that those who identify as Caucasian/White make up 68.5%. Only 4% identified as African American/Black; 7.3% identified as Hispanic/Latinx; 8.7% as mixed race or ethnicity; 5.6% Asian; 0.8% Middle Eastern/North African; 0.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific, and 0.1% Native American/American Indian, with 4.5% declining to identify their race or ethnicity.

The LGBTQ+ community accounts for nearly 11.5% of the guild’s members, according to the survey, with 81% identifying as heterosexual, and 7.5% declining to answer.

The survey also found that ageism continues to be a factor facing the guild’s members. “The majority of all Picture Editors reported being within the ages of 40-44, with a steady decline in representation up through age 78. The majority of Assistant Editors reported being within the ages of 30-34, with a steady decline in representation ending in the age range of 65-69. Sound Editors appear to have a more consistent level of representation with slight drop-offs between ages 30 to 59. The majority of 1st Assistant Editors surveyed are within the 35-39 age range, with fairly even representation between ages 40-54 before declining.”

“I see all that is happening regarding the increased awareness of systemic racism and the marginalization of other groups and communities as a real opportunity for the union to act,” Cathy Repola, the guild’s national executive director, said in the magazine. “We must be a leader in making the working lives of all of our members free of the subtleties of microaggressions and hurtful jokes as well as blatant discrimination and harassment that occur in the workplace.”

“It is apparent to me,” she said, “that the Guild needs to build a real support system for our BIPOC members, as well as women, LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, we are doing this through many different facets. One of them is this demographics survey, and the information collected from it is being utilized to inform our overall approach.”

“We at the Guild have a lot of work to do to get to a better level of equality, diversity, and inclusion,” said Alan Heim, the guild’s president. “In order to do that work effectively, it is important to have real data on where we are currently, and we appreciate the input from our members who took the survey.”

Read More About:

Source: Read Full Article