Photo Credit: Rockaa
As the year comes to a close, we’ve thought about the strides businesses and our culture have taken towards gender equity. In the last days of 2024, we thought we’d set up a foundation to continue that momentum by watching some of our favorite documentaries about workplace gender equity.
Knock Down the House (2019)
Knock Down the House is a documentary on Netflix that tracks the journeys of four women during their 2018 midterm election campaigns. The US Congress is just one of many workplaces in which men outnumber women in positions of power, so viewing this documentary presents an opportunity to examine the unique obstacles faced by women pursuing political leadership.
LFG (2021)
LFG takes the viewer on a journey to learn about how members of the US national women’s soccer team sued the United States Soccer Federation for pay discrimination. In a time where the pay disparity between men and women is so stark, this documentary is a wonderful space to watch so many affirm the value women bring to the workplace and the need to honor that work.
Picture a Scientist (2020)
Picture a Scientist uses the stories of women in STEM to illustrate an all-too-common phenomenon of women being pushed out of the field through sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based discrimination. With women making up only 34% of STEM jobs, films like this are important to our understanding of inequity and what we need to combat to bring gender parity to the field.
This Changes Everything (2018)
Some of the most prominent voices in the #MeToo movement were from the entertainment industry, which should come as no surprise given the extreme gender disparity in Hollywood. This Changes Everything explores how sexual harassment, and the devaluing of women’s stories and contributions leads to this disparity. This documentary serves as a challenge to all who work in entertainment to create workspaces that are safe and equitable to everyone who wants to be a part of making art.
Underplayed (2020)
Discrimination in entertainment is not just limited to filmmaking. Underplayed showcases the mistreatment faced by women in electronic music (particularly during the festival circuit). Only 7% of the top 100 DJ’s in 2019 were women, and Underplayed uses its runtime to dive into the underlying sexist factors that allow such disparities to happen and encourages us to make all spaces more equal and fair to all creators.
2025 is just around the corner, and it’s never too early to start thinking about the ways we can personally, professionally, and organizationally evolve to advance workplace gender equity. We hope you take the time to watch some of these films, read up on the disparities in your field, and make next year a year in which every employee is respected and valued, regardless of their gender.
RALIANCE is a trusted adviser for organizations committed to building cultures that are safe, equitable, and respectful. RALIANCE offers unparalleled expertise in serving survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse which drives our mission to help organizations across sectors create inclusive environments for all. For more information, please visit www.RALIANCE.org.
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