Women being bold for change
It is International Women’s Day and with the theme this year being ‘Be Bold for Change’, we thought we would celebrate the women doing just that.
It would be hard to ignore the growing momentum of women who are using their voices to be heard. A prime example being the women’s marches against Trump. Garnering support globally from over 2 million people (mostly women), a record number marched in Washington D.C, estimates sit at around half a million. Then there was ‘Streep-gate’ at the Golden Globes and the ensuing Twitter debacle, probably the only time Meryl has ever been referred to as ‘overrated’.
It has been powerful to watch and listen. Though there are many others who don’t have the global stage and international audiences of the aforementioned events or individuals, these women are still making waves in their industries and banding together to buck the trends.
Being a tech company, supporting women in tech is something we are passionate about and we are extremely proud of being led by a female CEO – Kate McLaughlin. However, we also operate in an industry that has a reputation for being patriarchal. It is impossible to ignore the lack of equality in the film industry – for example, the ratio of women film directors has not improved in ten years, with women making up just 13.6% of working film directors. Trailblazers like Patty Jenkins and the Oscar winning Kathryn Bigelow are exceptions that prove the rule.
So, on this International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate and highlight the work of two groups of women operating in tech and in film – both whom are changing their industries and shaping the future.
The GeekGirl Meetup was founded in Sweden in 2008 by Heidi Harman and Andie Nordgren. In London it was set up in 2011 and they have now grown into a global network. Their participants come from all walks of tech, design and start-ups, aiding their ambition to bring to the fore female role-models within the industry, create strong networks for knowledge exchange, mentoring and of course ideas sharing. They talk regularly at events in order to encourage others to do so along with the monthly breakfast meetups and yearly conference, creating a platform for all participants to share their knowledge and inspiring stories with other GeekGirls. They are a motivational group of women who are propelling the future generation of women in tech.
illuminatrix, is the UK’s first collective of female cinematographers. Based in the UK and working internationally, each member featured on the site has over five years of professional industry experience working as a Director of Photography; an eclectic group of unique talents whose work stretches across narrative, documentary and commercial genres. Its call to action is for gender equality amongst cinematographers working in the UK film industry. The lack of diversity within the film industry has been a major talking point of 2016, and with less than 7% of British feature films being shot by women – it should be. To help tackle this issue, illuminatrix is raising awareness by publicising the work of its members, not just on the website, but through social media platforms, events and workshops. To date their work has gained positive support from industry establishments such as the British Society of Cinematographers, BAFTA and Women in Film and Television UK.
There are a lot of inspirational people in this world, both men and women – passionate people fighting for equality. But today, on International Women’s Day, we say congratulations to those women being ‘bold for change’, and above all thank you!
