Why Girls That Create
This spring I came across a surprising statistic. In 1998 there were more women directors of the top 250 films than in 2018. Reading those numbers caused me to look at additional fields in the arts, where I discovered other frustrating data. Women comprise half of the U.S. population, but mass media continues to show them in much smaller numbers. This underrepresentation is also true for women who are behind the scenes, creating.
Consider these other figures:
- A 2019 report found 69 percent of news wire bylines (AP and Reuters) are snagged by men; 31 percent by women. (Women’s Media Center)
- In 2018, women comprised just four percent of directors working on the top 100 films, eight percent on the top 250 films, and 15 percent on the top 500 films. (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film)
- A recent study of 820,000 exhibitions across the public and commercial sectors, only one third were by women artists. (The Art Newspaper)
- Another 2019 study on the music industry revealed female songwriters and producers are vastly outnumbered. Across seven years, 12.3 percent of songwriters of the songs were female. More than half (57 percent) of the 633 songs examined did not credit one woman as a songwriter. (USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative)
Several days after reading those numbers and more, I was out grocery shopping with my daughters. While pushing the cart my mind rolled; how could I support artistically inclined girls and women? How could I help them create the media they want to see and become leaders in different industries? What can I do so my daughters will experience equal gender representation in their lifetimes? I had been part of a documentary that championed these very things. Now what? Suddenly, very much like lightening, the idea for this website materialized.
Creativity is now considered one of the most in-demand skills in the world. Girls That Create exists to inspire girls and women of all ages to hold the paintbrush, pound the keys, learn programming, get in front and behind the camera, stand center stage, tell their stores, and push for leadership positions in the arts (and beyond).
FAQs
When did Girls That Create first come online?
March 2019
I love your site’s purpose. How can I help support Girls That Create?
Sign up for the newsletter and invite family and friends to sign up too. Follow along on social media (see below). Please send feedback to erin(at)girlsthatcreate(dot)com on topics you’d like Girls That Create to cover.
Where can I follow you on social media?
What is the Creator Spotlight series?
Creator Spotlight features interviews with artistic women/girls and showcases their work. If you know an artist you’d like to see spotlighted, email me at erin(at)girlsthatcreate(dot)com.
Do you accept guest posts?
Yes! You can submit a guest post by emailing me at erin(at)girlsthatcreate(dot)com.
Do you review products or services?
If you have a product or service that is a good fit for Girls That Create, I would love to hear from you. Products related to the arts, parenting, and empowering women and girls are ideal. Only products that are a true and authentic fit for the site’s audience will be considered. Items received may be kept by the writer(s) of this blog or may be given away to readers via Girls That Create contests.
What is your site’s privacy policy?
The privacy of site visitors is extremely important to me. By visiting this site you are acknowledging that Girls That Create participates in Google Analytics, a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.
Sections of this site allow you to purchase different products and services online provided by other merchants. Some of the links posted on the site are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, Girls That Create will receive an affiliate commission. Girls That Create participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. Girls That Create is not responsible for the quality, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or any other aspect of these products and services purchased via affiliate links.
What about your newsletter’s privacy policy?
If you sign up for the Girls That Create newsletter, your email address will not be shared with any outside parties and you can always opt out at the bottom of newsletters or by contacting me.