Patricia Arquette, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and other powerful women in the industry who have spoken out about gender discrimination in Hollywood, together with the ACLU, have succeeded in starting a federal discrimination investigation with the EEOC.
According to director Maria Geise, who first brought the issue of discrimination against women directors to the attention of the EEOC in 2013, women currently get only about 16% of the episodic TV directing jobs, and last year directed less than 5% of the major studio releases. “The numbers are so low,” Giese said, “that I don’t see how the EEOC is going to come to any other conclusion but that legal action is necessary.
Is This Gender Discrimination Limited to Directors?
No. The world’s 10 highest paid actresses earned a combined $205 million over the last year, according to Forbes annual list of actress’s earnings
But these women collectively earned less than half than their male counterparts. The combined earnings of the 10 highest-paid actors totaled $456.5 million, as detailed in a list released by Forbes on Thursday.
What Will Happen to the Investigation Now That Trump has Been Elected?
Now that President Trump has named a Republican as the Acting Chair of the EEOC, many worry that the investigation will grind to a halt. But that’s by no means certain yet. First, the EEOC will remain with a Democratic majority, at least until July of 2017. We will be writing more on the EEOC next week.
Another Possibility: “It could advantage Trump to blast a spotlight on liberal, Democratic Hollywood hypocrisy in keeping women shut out of the directing profession,” said Giese. “He might like to see the feds go after the studios and networks to shame the industry that stands as the worst violator of Title VII in the United States. Also, supporting the investigation could help Trump improve his dismal reputation among women.”
Over the last six years, Mr. Cafaro has applied his litigation skills toward representing employees aggressively in overtime and discrimination cases. He has represented hundreds of workers successfully in individual wage and hour cases, including class and collective actions. He also litigates discrimination cases in both the federal and state courts.
Fluency in Spanish helps Mr. Cafaro to communicate with clients in their native languageI.
If you believe your employer or prospective employer has unlawfully discriminated against you or if you have not been properly paid for your overtime hours, an experienced employment law attorney can provide legal advice and guidance to protect your rights in the workplace.