Gender equality and diversity

In 2023, SAA members committed to increasing the diversity of the SAA Board of Patrons, in terms of gender, age, authors from non-Western regions and the Baltic States, etc. In 2022, only 25% of the Board were women. Today it is 37% (from 8 to 19 women). We now have representation from all but 4 out of the 27 countries in which we have members. Moreover, 14 of our Patrons are now established authors in their 30s and 40s. 

At the end of 2022, the SAA carried out a survey of its members to map the situation in terms of existing equality and diversity data. The survey looked at the collective management organisations’ members (screenwriters and directors), staff, and existing good practices.

In 2021, the SAA carried out a social media campaign #WeLoveAuthors #WomenWednesday featuring our female SAA Patrons (see below).

In 2020, the SAA established an Equality and Diversity Working Group. Its mission was to share information and good practices on the role CMOs can play in collecting and analysing equality data, to better reflect the diversity of its membership, raising awareness and campaigning. The group provides a link between the work of the SAA team and the Board's role in guiding and monitoring strategic developments in the area of diversity and equality.

Resources

• European Audiovisual Observatory: Gender Equality in the audiovisual sector  
• EURO-MEI: the Gender Pay Gap in audiovisual industry  
• The European Women's Audiovisual Network (EWA) 
• The CharactHer campaign, by the EU Commission, in partnership with Collectif 50/50, aiming at debunking stereotypes about gender equality in the European film and media industries.

SAA blogs

• The audiovisual sector so male (27 Feb 2023)
• Representation behind the numbers (7 Dec 2021)
• Equality and diversity in the spotlight (19 Jul 2021)
• When will the film industry pass the gender equality test? (7 Mar 2019)
• Where are the female directors and screenwriters? (8 Mar 2018)