UK film criticism has a gender pay gap of over 19% between men and women, wider than the national average of 13% for UK employees as of April 2024
UK film criticism has a gender pay gap of over 19% between men and women, wider than the national average of 13% for UK employees as of April 2024, according to an independent report of 186 UK-based critics commissioned by the Girls On Film podcast.
The gap is also wider than the 10% for media professionals, 13.2% for newspaper journalists, and 15.2% for those working in the original industries, according to ’The Critical Gap’, report, carried out by Forward Thought, and commissioned by Girls On Film ahead of its 200th episode.
The report discovered the average yearly earnings from criticism for male critics were £29,910, compared to £24,086 for female critics.
Furthermore, the report said 43% of women critics said they had experienced obstacles in breaking into and progressing in the industry as a direct result of their gender.
Sixty-three percent of respondents to the survey were female, with 33% male and 4% non-binary.
“Diversity in criticism is as important as diversity in filmmaking,” said Anna Smith, who co-founded Girls On Film in 2018. “ While many new female and underrepresented critics have come into the field [since 2018]… this report lays bare how they are not valued or rewarded as highly as their male counterparts which is frankly appalling.”
“This matters, not just for fairness, but because reviews influence which films succeed, and which ones get made in the future,” said Hedda Lornie Archbold, Girls On Film co-founder and executive producer. “They play a crucial role in the commercial success of films, and in the decisions made by investors on what gets made in future.”
Low pay, London-centric
The survey showed 54% of respondents earned under £25,000 from film criticism – more than one third below the average wage for full-time UK employees of £37,430.
For critics with less than 10 years’ experience, the figure is £24,444; rising slightly to £27,675 for those with more than 10 years’ experience. 22% of respondents said they receive no payment at all for their film criticism work.
Fifty-three percent of respondents lived in London, with a further 16% in the south east of England, compared to 12.5% and 16% across the total UK population.
In comments, respondents outside of London noted the number of critics screenings held in the early evening in London made attendance tough for those living outside the capital.
“The professionals reviewing movie releases do not reflect the readers and viewers they are influencing,” noted the report. “They live and work in a very different cultural and media environment to the majority of the UK population.”
Sixty-seven percent of respondents said a lack of family or contacts in the industry proved an obstacle to success, while 74% said that social class was a preventative factor in this regard.
Just under 80% of respondents work for online publications, with 67% working for print outlets and 38% for audio formats, with respondents able to cite work across more than one format.
The report concluded with 10 issues raised in feedback by many respondents. As well as financial constraints and lack of diversity and inclusivity, issues included concerns around a shift towards ‘influencer domination’, with studios not appreciating the importance of critics to film releases, and concerns around AI and automation.
Mark Kermode, co-host of Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review on BBC Radio 5 Live from 2001 to 2022 and chief film critic at The Observer from 2013 to 2023, noted the loss of “a thriving eco-system of local magazines and newspapers” as a factor in inequality among critics. “The decline of print media and the rise of unpaid online content has made it harder than ever for any upcoming critics to earn a living wage, exacerbating systemic inequalities and worsening work conditions,” said Kermode. “We must all work together to ensure that the widest variety of voices flourish – and get properly paid for their work!”
The report concluded “without hearing and benefitting from female voices, the world of film criticism and consequently the movies that resonate with consumers and inform future production decisions, are operating behind a self-inflicted barrier that distorts and damages the perceptions of this critical part of our shared culture.”
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