US is investigating Hollywood hiring practices, ACLU says
The United States is reportedly investigating Hollywood hiring practices after a study by the American Civil Liberties Union concluded women were being excluded from directing positions as a result of gender bias and stereotyping.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance have launched “a wide-ranging and well-resourced investigation into the industry’s hiring practices,” according to a statement by Melissa Goodman, director of the LGBTQ, Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California. The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have reports.
The U.S. investigation began with interviews of more than 50 women directors. It has now widened to include studio executives, producers, agents, actors and male directors, according to anonymous sources who spoke with the Los Angeles Times.
The article says any legal action by the EEOC could face hurdles because so many people are involved in deciding which films get made and which directors are hired.
The ACLU of Southern California and the ACLU Women’s Rights Project had sought the investigation.
Only four women have been nominated in the director category in the Academy Awards, and only one has won: Kathryn Bigelow, who directed The Hurt Locker.
