Bridging the gap

In our last post, ‘Mind the Gap’ we looked into some of the attributing factors behind the gender pay gap, focusing on the creative industries and production. At Natcho, we strive to achieve equality and a more inclusive environment, so we have investigated ways to move forward. Here, we discover what is being done and what more needs to be done to fix the gap.

“A lot needs to change and a lot is changing, just slowly,” says award-winning photographer Jaskirt Boora. The saying goes, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ and we say if men can do it, why not us? In order to create change, we must take risks, and to take risks we must improve women’s confidence in the workforce.

In the online essay by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman entitled The Confidence Gap, they report on professor Marilyn Davidson, who each year asked her students what salary they expect and deserve to be making after graduation. The difference between the male and female students? Twenty per cent. So, let’s start there. Think of what you usually charge and then add 20% – the worse that can happen is a client will say no.

Self-belief and self-worth are the building blocks to not underselling yourself and your services. Photographer Abbie Jennings, “I often think I am not taken seriously when I quote for a job because I’m seen as a young woman. I have a group chat with three of my male photography friends and we are quite open with each other about what we charge for certain jobs and regularly ask each for advice. I have found that they charge a lot more than I do and it’s helped me to up my rates and know my worth

Being self-aware that as women we are more suspectable of imposter syndrome means we can be products of change. Do as much research as you can into the roles and rates for the services you a providing and practice negotiating as often as possible – the more we do something the more comfortable it feels. “Open discussions about pay are vital,” says Abbie. “Freelancers are often not very vocal about what they are paid but they should be because it would help normalise rates.” She added, “Always ask what a client’s budget is first. I think this is helpful to ensure you are not underselling yourself.”

Jaskirt agrees, “From what I’m seeing, people are publishing what they are getting paid which is not to hold people accountable but to have transparency. The more we see and the more we talk about pay, the more we can learn from each other.” This is something Jaskirt is passionate about sharing with her students too. “I show them my budgets and what I’m getting paid for commissions because otherwise, how are you meant to know?”

Both Abbie and Jaskirt also stressed the importance of finding your community. “My biggest advice to a woman working in the field is to build your own community of friends that can be a safe space for you to talk about your experiences,” says Jaskirt. “Having a good support network is really helpful in terms of confidence. I am in groups where we’re a collective of women photographers who are mothers as well and being connected to like-minded individuals helps. We share our experiences and champion each other which is uplifting, especially as a freelancer when you’re often working on your own, and we encourage each other to raise our voices, especially about pay. Representation matters so much too.”

Abbie added, “I had the help from an amazing programme called FreelanceHER 100, which involves a hundred female freelancers coming together for mentorship and it was super inspiring. Also, know your value, know your talent and know your worth – don’t let anyone undervalue you.”

“While tremendous strides have been made in achieving onscreen parity, women and girls are still less likely to appear, speak, and have starring roles than men, and they’re more often relegated to gendered stereotypes. This creates harmful views of women and girls across the world, leading to violence against them and to a lack of rights, protections, and opportunities for them. This is especially true for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and migrant women.” – Women in Film.

When we have women behind the scenes, women’s portrayal on screen changes too. A study by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen of the top US films of 2021 reported that male characters in film outnumbered women 2:1 and when women were portrayed, they were often hypersexualised and fitting into Eurocentric definitions of ‘beauty’ shown as wives or without jobs, or shown as to only benefit a man such as in a romantic relationship. 

Change doesn’t come quickly, but it is essential to move forward. Society works better for everyone when we are equal, and when there’s a gender pay gap and unequal representation, we only get one side of the story. To create change, women need to be in the driving seat. We need a place at the table to be able to share our half of the story. To do that, we need a voice. This means being behind the camera, writing the scripts and telling the stories that represent us. When we have women behind the camera, the portrayal of all women in front of the camera changes too. Leading to the destruction of gendered stereotypes that are harmful to everyone. Find your community, build your confidence and demand what you deserve – we are in this together. It’s now over to you…

Those leading the way:

·      3 Percent Movement – Only 3% of creative directors are women. And even less are people of colour. They’ve made it their mission to bring that number up to 50%.

·      She Says – The 1st – and largest – global network for creative women

·      Lucy Kerbel’s book 100 Great Plays for Women aimed to give more female roles in theatre.

·      Underwire Festival – the UK’s only film festival celebrating female filmmakers.

·      Women in Film

·      Women Film & Television UK – the leading membership organisation for women working in media