Get the Picture - Employment - Occupations

Occupations: By gender

Proportions of men and women employed in selected occupations, audiovisual industries, 1996 and 2001

The proportion of women in these occupations (35 per cent in 1996 and 36 per cent in 2001) is lower than in Australia’s audiovisual industries overall (43 per cent in 1996 and 44 per cent in 2001). These figures do not include video hire outlets.

The occupations of makeup artist and production assistant contain the highest proportions of women, while those of director of photography, camera operator and technical director contain the lowest. There is also a relatively high proportion of women in script editing and this dominance increased further in 2001, although the proportion of women among screenwriters fell.

Between 1996 and 2001 women significantly increased their representation in the roles of artistic director, stage manager, photographer's assistant, program director, light technician, projectionist, cinema manager, and art director.

Next update December 2008

	1996			2001			% change women's share
	Total no.	% men	% women	Total no.	% men	% women	% change women's share
Media producers	2,805	59%	41%	3,150	55%	45%	+10%
Artistic directors	18	78%	22%	30	50%	50%	+127%
Photographers	60	75%	25%	48	77%	23%	-8%
Photographer's assistants	62	84%	16%	11	73%	27%	+70%
Graphic designers	316	51%	49%	485	55%	45%	-9%
Illustrators	362	70%	30%	292	82%	18%	-40%
Screenwriters/authors	204	50%	50%	262	61%	39%	-21%
Script editors	45	42%	58%	65	34%	66%	+14%
Actors	346	51%	49%	524	58%	42%	-14%
Television presenters	258	63%	37%	264	59%	41%	+10%
Television journalists	894	52%	48%	864	54%	46%	-4%
Directors (film, TV, radio, stage)	967	76%	24%	1,331	72%	28%	+17%
Program directors (radio, TV)	45	69%	31%	124	58%	42%	+35%
Technical directors	102	90%	10%	104	91%	9%	-9%
Stage managers	80	80%	20%	110	64%	36%	+81%
Art directors (film, TV , stage)	116	67%	33%	102	61%	39%	+20%
Directors of photography	211	94%	6%	218	96%	4%	-40%
Other dirs; other prod. dept. heads	562	75%	25%	663	79%	21%	-15%
Film/video editors	878	74%	26%	1,203	79%	21%	-17%
Sound technicians	577	85%	15%	568	87%	13%	-14%
Camera operators (film, TV, video)	874	97%	3%	1,130	95%	5%	+79%
Light technicians	112	97%	3%	145	88%	13%	+317%
Makeup artists	119	10%	90%	128	11%	89%	-1%
Production assistants (film, TV, radio)	658	28%	72%	721	22%	78%	+8%
TV equipment & transmitter operators	550	76%	24%	499	73%	27%	+12%
Motion picture projectionists	533	95%	5%	856	86%	14%	+184%
Theatre or cinema managers	551	56%	44%	854	48%	52%	+19%
Ticket collectors or ushers	1,111	43%	57%	1,636	49%	51%	-10%
Total these occupations	*13,416*	65%	35%	*16,387*	64%	36%	*+3%*
Other occupations¹	17,307	51%	49%	21,128	49%	51%	+4%
Total employed	30,723	57%	43%	37,515	56%	44%	+2%

Source: Compiled by the Australian Film Commission from unpublished data from the 1996 and 2001 Census.

Notes:
Cells have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data, so totals in this table may not equal totals in other tables which use Census data.
1. ‘Audiovisual industries’ comprise film/video production, film/video distribution, motion picture exhibition, television services; as well as ‘motion picture, radio, TV services undefined’, ‘film & video services undefined’, and ‘radio & TV services undefined’.
2. Includes ‘Artists and related professionals not further defined’, ‘Performing arts support workers not further defined’, and occupations ‘not stated’, as well as other occupations not listed in the table.

Snapshot 1996 and 2001

Graph representing proportions of women and men employed in selected audiovisual industries for 1996 and 2001. Prior table provides the data.

Source: Compiled by the Australian Film Commission from unpublished data from the 1996 and 2001 Census.