How can we understand gender-based wage inequality among actors?

"ReSearch Humanity and Kurana have both provided us with a clear understanding of the causes behind gendered wage disparities among actors and contributed a direction for how we can work towards creating more equitable conditions" - Christine Vestergård Hüttel, Deputy Director of the Danish Actors' Association

Challenge

For several years, the Danish Actors' Association has documented wage inequality between women and men in the industry. To gain a better understanding of why this inequality persists, they collaborated with Kurana and ReSearch Humanity to conduct an in-depth problem analysis.

Approach

A thorough problem analysis is an essential part of socially sustainable solutions. If we do not understand the challenge, we may end up addressing symptoms instead of tackling the root problem.To work on solutions with lasting effects, we must understand the underlying structures that the problem expresses. Therefore, ReSearch Humanity and Kurana have focused on exposing the logics and norms dominant when actors and musical performers are considered for jobs, negotiate salaries, and engage in discussions about wages in the workplace. These norms create specific gendered rules of the game, resulting in differences in wage and career development for actors. This is evident when men negotiating salaries have more leeway than women, who are more likely to consider collective consequences and may face threats of job loss if they do not accept the offered salary.

The analysis relies on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including a survey and interviews with both actors and industry stakeholders such as directors, producers, and agents. These methods provide a unique insight into the extent of gender differences and lived experiences, including salary negotiations, network utilization, and wage discussions in the workplace. An inclusive approach has been employed, with the Danish Actors' Association actively contributing to the study's development

"Throughout the project, there has been an ongoing dialogue where we have adjusted the direction along the way. We have been pleased to follow and contribute to the work that Kurana and ReSearch Humanity have carried out" - Michael Oxfeldt, Project and Communications Coordinator at the Danish Actors' Association

Result

With this study, the Danish Actors' Association has gained a deeper understanding of a complex problem fundamental to its members. Additionally, ReSearch Humanity and Kurana have formulated recommendations on how the Danish Actors' Association can strengthen its gender equality efforts.

The full report can be found here.

“This is a highly useful study for us as it clearly demonstrates how genders encounter different expectations and rules when negotiating wages. We hope that this can be the starting point for us, collectively across TV, film, and performing arts, to ensure more equal conditions across genders” - Benjamin Boe Rasmussen, Chairperson of the Danish Actors' Association

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How do we create a research environment that promotes inclusion?

"We didn't know where to start. It was the absolutely right decision to involve you. The quality, facilitation, follow-up, engagement, and asking the right questions were things we couldn't have achieved on our own." - Head of Institute, ECE, Aarhus University, Mikael Bergholz Knudsen

CHALLENGE The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aarhus University faced a challenge with low gender diversity within the department and encountered difficulties in retaining and recruiting female faculty members. They sought to gain more insights into the challenge and develop concrete measures to create a more inclusive environment.

Like many other STEM research environments, the department experienced a decline in the representation of women throughout the research pipeline, particularly at the Ph.D. level.

The primary challenge revolved around how to attract and retain female researchers. Additionally, the department aimed to establish a more inclusive and secure working environment for all employees.

The department recognized that addressing this challenge required comprehensive change, and they were prepared to work towards a cultural shift across the entire institute.

APPROACH The project's key approach is the co-creation of knowledge, strategy, and solutions. This means that both students and staff have been involved throughout the entire process. They have contributed knowledge, developed strategies, created new procedures, and designed training to establish a safe space for everyone, where discrimination and inappropriate behavior are taken seriously.

"The training sessions have been highly engaging, providing us with a greater sense of ownership in the inclusive work we carry out in the department"

- Participant in training and development program

All aspects of this collaboration have involved various stakeholders with different perspectives on the challenge.

Involving diverse stakeholders is crucial for viewing challenges and potentials from different angles. It provides a more accurate understanding of the problem and increases the resilience of the solutions. Additionally, it is advantageous for creating ownership widely within the organization. This ensures that employees are motivated to continue the work on inclusion.

"The institute has truly managed to do comprehensive work that has significant potential to change the culture. Their open approach and willingness to engage have had a decisive impact." - Development Consultant, ReSearch Humanity, Karoline Barkvoll Holstad

RESULTS In collaboration with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aarhus University, we have created a fundamental understanding of the challenges women may face in their study and work environment. We have provided the department with tools to improve their working environment and involved them in the development, enabling them to take ownership of the inclusion work. It has become easier, more transparent, and safe to discuss challenges and inappropriate behavior.

"Cultural change is truly complex - even though we all want it. However, the fact that we have now taken some small and very concrete actions gives us a good starting point to continue the work, so we can achieve a more inclusive culture"

- Participant in training and development program

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aarhus University has made significant progress in the work on inclusion and gender equality. The key results so far include:

• A new reporting procedure developed by the employees themselves with a focus on safety and early reporting.

• Comprehensive knowledge about inclusion challenges for the department.

• Development of concrete change initiatives and an action plan for further work.

• An environment attentive to excluding structures and habits.

• Understanding of an inclusive work culture among staff.

Creating an inclusive culture and structure is an ongoing process that does not end with this initiative. The department hires new staff and discovers new challenges. They now have the tools to address these challenges themselves, and we are ready with more knowledge to assist them in facilitation. The department is looking at task assignments for employees, exploring new forms of collaboration among researchers, and reevaluating recruitment methods for fairness and advantage.

At ReSearch Humanity, we create long-term change. We can assist with analysis, development, and ensuring that all staff or volunteers take ownership of the work to solve the problem. We help with challenges related to inclusion, as well as other complex issues.

If you are facing a challenge or change that requires the involvement of the entire team, reach out, and let's explore whether we are the right collaborative partner for you.

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From frustrations to fast-paced co-creation

We're at the end of March 2022, meaning that I have for about a year teamed up with change makers in the nonprofit- and labour union sector to create value among their members and target groups.

March 1st 2021 I sat down and created the VAT number for ReSearch Humanity, officially founding the company of my dreams. A couple of months earlier I had quit my exiting job at a Danish nonprofit in order to give all my focus to developing change making solutions for social actors. It sounds a bit fluffy, I know..

But the main point was that I wanted to team up with actors working with vulnerable groups or who seek to create societal change, to accelerate their work, so they could create even more change making efforts at a shorter amount of time.

Having worked in the nonprofit and labour union sector, I had experienced how daily routines and the somewhat complex dynamics of social change were putting new and innovative solutions in the corner - coining them pipeline projects that quite seldom got developed into existing projects.

I could also see how internal and external actors to the organisations wanted progressive development in regard to working closer with other stakeholders (such as government, other organisations and private companies) and the target group itself.

But while the organisations aspired to develop the best solutions and collaborate with various actors, different obstacles tended to come in the way. Being a development oriented person and loving to make diverse actors interact and collaborate, I wanted to be part of the solution to this challenge.

I knew that I wanted to team up with social actors to facilitate more effective as well as efficient development of user centered solutions, by amongst other creating a space for collaborative development of solutions with internal and external stakeholders.

In order to succeed with this, I set out on the journey to introduce more social actors to the methods of human centered development. Coupled with my project management and business development experience, I today team up with nonprofits and labour unions as a development consultant, facilitator and project manager, giving team members the space to focus and co-create value creating and change making solutions.

In the first year, I've been thrilled to collaborate with actors developing:

• the basis for value based communication for young LGBT+ people

• a new project, which seeks out to create more inclusive and intersectional school material and environments, and ensuring EU funding to this project

• a new project addressing the barriers of gender norms and stereotypes, mobilizing young people to create awareness and change among their communities

• solutions strengthening the positive experiences of being unionized

• a digital booking solution to make lower the barriers of getting an STI test

• a campaign addressing sexual health among overlooked populations

• new user insights across target groups and clients

The benefits of co-creating solutions

The conclusion from working on these projects and with my clients for a year is that there are clear benefits for social actors to use methods for co-creation, user & human centered development and more efficient development processes. Of course not for the benefit of a great proces (which is nice), but for the sake of creating change among their communities they represent and exist for.

The core benefits can, in be summarized as the following:

• Participants share their knowledge in a transparent way, giving all participants a more equal access to the insights behind the challenge etc.

• By sharing perspectives among a heterogenous group, participants might be challenged on how they perceive the issue at hand, which can deepen their understanding

• The specifically designed step-by-step proces, gives the team opportunity to solve complex challenges quickly, as sub-challenges and needs are mapped out and focus-points are decided upon

• Decisions become more transparent, as they typically are taken in the room, and all participants take part in creating the basis for decisions

• By collecting diverse perspective in the room, it becomes easier to identify and manage risks in the project or effort

• Instead of lots of recurring meetings, and unstructured and slow-paced development of solutions, the team creates solutions within a specific timeframe, saving the team of resources as well as frustrations

Taken together, using co-creation and human centered development, teams create the solutions together; develop a better basis for collaboration and continuous decision-making; save time and resources; and not least strengthen internal motivation and drive as solutions take form and the team see the benefits of their efforts.

Seeing how more and more organisations integrate such processes into their work, I am certain we'll during the next couple of years see a boom in more creative, co-creational development of solutions and efforts that integrate and put their target groups at the center of all processes.

I'm definitely here for it, and I hope you are too!

Regardless, I invite you to follow along to see how more organisations and social actors take on the role as rolemodels in developing a more social, inclusive and sustainable future.

Follow ReSearch Humanity via the social media bar below to get inspired to how you can strengthen the co-creative processes in your organisation or company