Gender Bias in Scenic Construction

[elaine*]

Hi there.

 

My name is Elaine. I am a student from Guildford School of Acting. I am currently working on my dissertation for BA(Hons) Professional Production Skills. My research is on Gender Bias in Scenic Construction. I would like to seek your professional views on females' position within the industry. In order to do so, I would like to ask for your kind assistance by filling in a questionnaire.

 

If you are willing to help, please can you message me your email address so I can send the questionnaire to you? It will only take 2 minutes and it is solely for educational purpose and will not be used in any other way.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Regards,

Elaine

[gareth]

I am currently working on my dissertation for BA(Hons) Professional Production Skills. My research is on Gender Bias in Scenic Construction.

I can't help but wonder how spending your time delving into the murky waters of political correctness, and the inappropriate emphasis that seems to be placed on it these days, is going to help your production skills ...

 

But that said, good luck. Don't forget to come back and tell us about your results - I think it would be a nice touch, given that you're expecting members of this forum to help with your research.

[Ynot]

IS there a gender bias in scenic construction?

Or asked another way, is there an INTENTIONAL bias on the part of those involved, bearing in mind that the physical nature of building especially large bits of stage scenery - I wouldn't DARE say that women can't do the job, BUT would say that many women PREFER not to do so, because of the type of work involved.

 

There are few women working on the business end of most construction jobs, and I believe it's nothing to do with sexism or political correctness, but more to do with physicalities, and to a great extent tradition.

 

Just a couple of (possibly inflamatory) thoughts.

 

 

<Dons nomex suit and retires>

[paulears]

It isn't a gender bias, just a personality bias. I have worked with some really good females, who easily deserved their 'status' and respect by their ability and performance. I doubt any of us, as Gareth says, have any problem with any member of the team being female. We do have a problem with people of either sex who can't, or won't do what the others do.

 

When a rope slips, or a ladder slides, or a counterweight rope lock gives way I don't care who stops me getting hurt - but I'd be pretty p*ssed if I got hurt because someone didn't have the sense to help.

 

I also am amazed by your choice for your dissertation. You are going to spend time attempting to prove or disprove something so irrelevant to todays industry.

 

I spent a great time in panto this year in a house where at a guess, over half the technical staff were girls - and it didn't matter a jot! I'm not quite sure why, but I'm very uneasy with your subject.

 

On a lighter note - I had more problems getting a male ASM to do anything phsyical. I insisted on full blacks, but he said they were so 'drab'. Next show I got blacks, with a vivid bright blue scarf to set it off! Now that would be a good subject for your degree.

 

Best of luck with what I expect will be a very unrewarding study period!

[elaine*]

I am really sorry that my research area seems to have generate some negative feedback here. I think there might be a bit of misunderstanding here. I am not saying there is gender bias in the industry. I am trying to prove IF there is gender bias or is it down to other reason that scenic construction is a male dominated industry. I suppose I am looking at how to encourage female from entering the industry more than to challenge political correctness, etc.

I would really appreciate help but I understand if other members do not agree with my point of view. I decide on research area because it interests me.

[bruce]

I would really appreciate help but I understand if other members do not agree with my point of view. I decide on research area because it interests me. If you disagree with my research, please do not reply to the thread.

 

Hang on a minute - isn't this research supposed to be finding out about others points of view? By saying "If you disagree with my research, please do not reply to the thread", what do you really mean? Are you only interested in hearing from people who have the same viewpoint as you do? In that case, what's the point in asking for those opinions!

 

Read the posts above very carefully. They are not negative towards you. They may despair a little about the theme of your dissertation, but all offer some very valid and constructive points.

[zonino]

on a seperate note, you may find people more willing to complete your survey if you allow them to download it and then email it to you (or preferably complete it online)

 

I know I wouldn't give out my email address...

[elaine*]

I would really appreciate help but I understand if other members do not agree with my point of view. I decide on research area because it interests me. If you disagree with my research, please do not reply to the thread.

 

Hang on a minute - isn't this research supposed to be finding out about others points of view? By saying "If you disagree with my research, please do not reply to the thread", what do you really mean? Are you only interested in hearing from people who have the same viewpoint as you do? In that case, what's the point in asking for those opinions!

 

 

Sorry I am not communicating clearly here. by disagreeing with my research, I don't mean different point of view, I mean if you think that the research is not worthwhile. Sorry about the confusion. Please note I have deleted my comment on my previous post now.

 

I understand some of the points raised on the above posts are valid and constructive. I have included similar points in my proposal before I was granted the dissertation topic by my supervisor. Please don't be offended by me not commenting on it. However, I must say it is rather discouraging to be told that my study would be unrewarding, etc.

 

on a seperate note, you may find people more willing to complete your survey if you allow them to download it and then email it to you (or preferably complete it online)

 

I know I wouldn't give out my email address...

 

 

Thank you for your suggestion. I will work on an online version of the survey.

[gareth]

I don't think anyone suggested it would be unrewarding. The point that I was pondering was that, considering you're doing a degree in Professional Production Skills, it seems quite odd that your dissertation is based squarely on a topic that is definitely not a production skill. I have a degree in computer systems engineering, and if I'd suggested to my supervisor that I'd like to write my final-year dissertation on something as irrelevant to my degree as "gender bias in the semiconductor industry" I think I'd have been told where to get off!

[Wuddy]

>SNIP<

Best of luck with what I expect will be a very unrewarding study period!

I don't think anyone suggested it would be unrewarding. >SNIP<

[paulears]

Thanks Wuddy, most helpful!

 

What I mean is that based on topics like this we've had before, you'll have a real hard job generating useful material. So my choice of 'unrewarding' relates to the distinct possibility that the data you collect will not generate data that you can validate properly.

 

In scenic construction, there does seem to be underepresentation - but by asking here, you'll get the viewpoint of people who are not possibly working in that exact area - so many views will be based on unsound, or unverifiable premise - personal opinion, I guess. The other snag is that the scenic construction area is quite small, so getting a significant number of replies from people within actual departments is quite difficult.

 

I must say that my own contact with this kind of thing does seem to have a male female split. Much of the heavy work doesn't appear to the girls, and much of the small, detailed, delicate stuff doesn't appeal to the big burly blokes with lumpy fingers and hard skin. Obviously a generalisation - but the nature of the work attracts people with certain attributes - and puts off others. A lot of this probably isn't a sex thing at all, it's a physical thing. Some people are good at slow, intricate work that must be done with great precision and detail - and have artistic input. These people may not be any good with heavy power tools, or be able to use their under 10 stone weight to hold down something while another welds it!

 

The key is the word 'construction' - the construction industry, as a whole is a naturally gender biased area of work. There isn't any real exclusion, as far as I'm aware, just lack of interest.

 

I suspect what we're all interested in is why you chose a study subject like this? Whats the male/female split in your cohort at uni? Is this what's triggered the idea.

 

One thing does concern me slightly, and that's how your choice will be perceived by others? The reaction here was pretty predicable, and is that good for your career - all that effort on something that doesn't make you more valuable in your career. I know they are not meant to be taken like that, but I've spent a fair while reading my panto drummers Phd thesis - damn interesting! I can't think many people will find yours interesting, outside of the educational context - and surely that's a real shame - something on s shelf, never to see the light of day?

 

Please - this isn't meant as a criticism of you - just such a wierd thing to choose, and it's kind of confunded many of us?

[elaine*]

thank you all for replies. I must apologies for my rather negative-natured responses yesterday. I understand posting here is not going to reach many of my core targets but I just wanted more of a scope.

 

more appropriate description of my course would be management in the arts and I am interested in the under-representation in scenic construction and if there is anything that can be done to encourage female participation.

 

in fact, all the responses so far have enriched my research because that shows general understanding of the industry. as far as relevancy goes, I believe if it is entirely irrelevant to the society these days, there will be zero response. so please keep the responses coming. all points of view welcome.

[gareth]

more appropriate description of my course would be management in the arts

Ah, right, that makes your choice of dissertation subject seem more appropriate. Still strikes me as odd, though, that a course which is apparently based squarely around arts management is called a Production Skills course. If I were to encounter a Professional Production Skills graduate, and then discover that their training lay not in the field of theatrical production techniques but instead in the field of arts management, I'd be more than a little surprised!!

[Dmills]

You will need to be careful of the difference between "Equality of opportunity" and "Equality of outcome" (I find it deeply scary that I know those phrases)..

 

To give an example from another job outside the theatre I held briefly (And where I was sufficiently curious to look the numbers up): The job was hard real time safety critical software development for the automotive industry, and the company was growing about as quickly as it could recruit, we didn't care, if you could write embedded C and at least two assembly languages, we would hire pretty much independent of anything else. The company was over 90% male (And this was down to the fact that over 90% of the applicants were male)..

 

I strongly suspect that this is pretty much the same root cause as most scenic carpenters being male, and if you want to fix it, look to the junior schools and play groups! It is annoying as finding competence is hard, and by implication this bias in the outcomes reduces available competence.

 

Whatever surveying you do, you will need to be very careful about this distinction, as while equality of opportunity is a good thing (and is under the control of the people doing the hiring), equality of outcome is not something the employer should exercise any control over in my opinion.

 

Also, be careful as these sorts of surveys tend to be self selecting which makes for horribly bad statistics.

 

Regards, Dan (Who also considers it a strange subject to study).

[kerry davies]

Oh dear, here I go again. I really should apply to go on "Grumpy Old Men".

Elaine, are you aware that the figures show that there are 512,000 final year HE and FE students in "creative" subjects and a mere 6,000 jobs? Will you be able to prove equal ability with regard to the gender split? Are you suggesting that there should be "positive discrimination" for a specific gender? If so what other "groups" need such "encouragement"? Are you aware of the Seven Steps to Community Cohesion and their impact on equality practice? Don't you think that any PC correction in the gender bias is exceedingly patronising to any minority group?

Without these and many other questions being understood your own research will be founded on misconception. If there is indeed a gender bias, which I very much doubt due to existing legislation, then any attempt to suggest ways of alleviating it without recourse to the law will be ineffectual.

If this topic has been suggested or approved by your tutors as a good dissertation subject then God help the industry. Your tutors are years behind in their approach to equality and this appears to be a sociology subject, not arts management.

Sorry if this is totally negative, but have a look at some of the other research requests that we have seen on the forum....despair is not too strong a word.