The Gendered Politics of Hollywood Film Production Culture

Abstract

This paper explores the cultural inner workings of the film industry and the factors that contribute to the dearth of women employed “behind the scenes” within the Hollywood Production Culture. The Hollywood Production Culture is defined as the cultural norms, practices, and economic influences functioning within Hollywood. Throughout the history of the film industry, women have been underrepresented in positions of power and influence. These positions of power and influence are labeled Above-The-Line positions and include producers, writers, directors, and cinematographers. This study focuses on finding and analyzing the contributing factors of the gender disparity in Above-The- Line positions. The methodology used to explore the gender disparity within Hollywood Production Culture is an interdisciplinary approach, using textual analysis of industry literature, scholarly studies, and data analysis.