LOS ANGELES (US) – Two-thirds of women who took part in a survey of the entertainment industry said there were continuing incidents of sexual harassment. This came out in a report released on Tuesday. Three years ago, Hollywood was rocked by the #MeToo scandal causing several powerful men to lose their jobs.
Conducted by the Hollywood Commission, the survey also asked questions related to racism and found that fewer than half of the respondents believe that Hollywood honours diverse backgrounds and points of view.
Launched in November 2019, the online survey was the largest so far in the industry reaching across to workers in television and film, commercials, live theatre, music, broadcast news, talent agencies, public relations and corporate settings.
There were as many as 10,000 respondents. Some 67% of women said they experienced gender harassment during the prior 12 months, with 42% saying they received unwanted sexual attention.
One person said while working as an assistant, the CEO of the firm “gave me actual assignments to flirt with other powerful people in the industry to try to get my bosses more meetings.”
Chaired by law professor Anita Hill, the commission said Hollywood had made progress in tackling “significant culture and climate issues of harassment and discrimination”. However, more needs to be done.
It also hailed new diversity standards when it comes to future Oscar contenders to win a best picture Academy Award, the Netflix pledge to donate $100 million to Black-owned financial institutions, and an initiative by actor Michael B. Jordan to bring in more Black voices behind and in front of the camera.
The commission also recommended confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, banning bullying, increased mentorship, and bystander training to help employees tackle racist or sexist encounters.
Hill became wellknown when she accused now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his nomination hearings in 1991, a charge he denies.
