A recent survey of more than 2,000 Writer’s Guild of America West members confirmed with quantifiable statistics what women in Hollywood have been saying for years now: For a majority of women in the industry, particularly those in male-dominated areas like the writers’ room, sexual harassment is part and parcel with the job.
To be specific, the survey, reported on by Deadline, found that 64 percent of female writers have experienced sexual harassment sometime in their careers. Furthermore, “a significant amount” of that harassment happens in the writers’ room. The survey also found that 11 percent of male writers had experienced sexual harassment, but that the number of writers who have witnesses harassment was even higher.
The guild issued a statement to its members that acknowledged the results provided “a sobering, first-person insight into the conditions that make addressing the issue both essential and urgent.” The responses have helped “[inform] and [motivate]” the guild’s “search for ways to eliminate...harassment of all types from the professional lives of writers and those who work with them.”
The survey also demonstrated that many guild members believe a 2006 California Supreme Court ruling known as the Friends decision is “mistakenly used to justify inappropriate behavior.” That case involved a female writers’ assistant on the classic NBC comedy show arguing that dirty jokes made in the writers’ room added up to sexual harassment. The court unanimously ruled that “sexually coarse and vulgar language or conduct that merely offends” is not illegal.
The guild challenged this precedent in its statement by acknowledging that “objectionable talk may, in some circumstances, be enough to create a hostile work environment,” especially if it is aimed at one specific individual.
“There should be due process for alleged offenders, and proportionate consequences for guilty offenders,” the guild said. “The reality is that this problem is too difficult, too long-standing, and too deeply rooted to yield a quick fix. Be assured that we are working every day to determine and implement a full array of responses that will be necessary to eradicate bullying, harassment, and assault in the writing workplace in Hollywood.”
Pair this study with USA Today’s February survey that found 94 percent of women in the entertainment say they’ve experienced harassment or assault and you get a pretty negative view of the so-called boys' club that is Hollywood.
