Perilous Journeys

Professionals Belonging to Minoritized Groups in Contemporary Italian Cinema And TV

Abstract

The debate on gender equality and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the creative industries has intensified worldwide, yet progress remains slow, often resulting in "precarious diversity". This article presents the findings of E|Quality (2024–26), an interdisciplinary project by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Università di Bologna that uses a multi-level, mixed-methods approach to examine exclusionary dynamics in Italian cinema and television across three dimensions: off-screen (labour structures), on-screen (representation) and in-front-of-screen (audience reception). A review of 219 regional funding calls (2017–25) shows that 77% include DEI criteria, yet these typically address few variables – mainly age and binary gender – and favour punitive over rewarding models. Among the top 95 Italian production companies, only 31% have documented DEI procedures, mostly driven by international groups rather than by cultural change within independent firms. A longitudinal analysis of 12,820 television episodes (2000–23) shows a persistent gender gap: women account for only a third of the workforce, work 12% fewer episodes than men, and remain underrepresented in creative "above-the-line" roles, which grow harder to access as their prestige increases, owing to informal recruitment networks and precarious work arrangements. Automated speech recognition confirms genre-specific dynamics on screen: female speaking time reaches 61% in comedy but drops to 5% in crime and drama, and female leads do not guarantee parity. Exclusionary tendencies thus operate at systemic, narrative and organisational levels. Moving beyond performative "DEI-washing" requires structural changes that embed gender equality within the industry's creative and organisational fabric.