Systematic Change Project set up to push for more women in TV and film

Hollywood insiders are looking to end gender disparity once and for all.

Variety is reporting that two days of private discussions by "influential Hollywood insiders" have concluded with a small morsel of hope for the end of gender disparity in the Hollywood system. 

Several proposals have now been generated which look to increase the presence of women both behind, and in front of, the camera. The brain-storming sessions, titled "The Systemic Change Project: Moving the Needle for Women in Hollywood", moved for initiatives such as mentor programs, anti-bias training sessions, and a gender parity stamp-of-approval system. These approvals would be awarded to both film and televisions programmes which have provided substantial employment opportunities to women; the training sessions would involve hiring an educator to highlight unconscious biases similar to those brought in by Google for its employees. 
 

BMW of North America sponsored the event, in support with the Female Filmmakers Initiative, itself co-founded through the Sundance Institute and Women in Film Los Angeles. The event followed on the organisation's sponsored research (conducted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) which revealed, in full, the astonishing disproportion of men to women being hired within the entertainment industry: only 2% of last year's 100 top-grossing films were led by female directors, and only a little more than one in five of those films featured a female lead character. 

The Executive director of Women in Film Los Angeles, Kirsten Schaffer, told Variety, "After three years of doing research, it's time for action. This is a deeply-rooted, systemic problem that is going to take a complex solution... This is a first step. It's not the end game."

The collective featured heads of studios, production companies, and talent agencies; including representatives from Warner Brothers, Marvel Studios Miramax, Lionsgate, and Tristar Pictures. 

Though things, as they stand now, may look impossibly grim for the women of Hollywood; 2015 at least marked a year in which those groundbreaking conversations began taking place. It's a brutal fight, with so much energy wasted merely on convincing both the industry and the public that these issues exist. There will always be a backlash to any step towards progress, but at least these new initiatives mark a small step towards these achievements.  

But these conversations are happening. And that's nothing but good. The highest-paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence, recently spoke out against the gender-pay gap; plus, 2015 has thankfully been a fairly profitable year for high-profile female protagonists. Between Carol, Sicario, Suffragette, The Assassin, Mockingjay - Part 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, Crimson Peak, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens; these achievements are all worth celebrating. 
 
Furthermore, a key topic in discussions underlined the fact that the hiring more female directors, writers, and actors wasn't just a case of doing what was right, but genuinely has economic advantages in diversifying the appeal. Elizabeth Banks' Pitch Perfect 2 cost an estimated $29 million to make but managed to gross $285 million worldwide, while Sam Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades of Grey cost $40 million, and grossed over $570 million.