MeToo Improvement in Toxic Workplaces – IndieWire

The impact of Hollywood’s #MeToo reckoning could continue to pay off, according to a new survey from Women in Film (WIF). On the sixth anniversary of the New York Times’ groundbreaking expose of mega-producer Harvey Weinstein as a serial abuser, WIF unveiled its 2023 survey results on workplace harassment and assault. The Weinstein saga was captured in the 2022 film “She Said”; The former Miramax and Weinstein Company executive is currently serving decades in prison and is facing a new lawsuit from actress Julia Ormond.

The 2023 WIF survey surveyed 266 respondents across the entertainment industry, with responses collected between September 11 and September 22, 2023. Respondents were current or former film industry employees, with 95.4 percent of respondents identifying as women, 1.9 percent as men, and 2.7 percent identifying as non-binary or other identify gender; 1.1 percent of respondents identify as trans.

The results showed that 59 percent of respondents believe the culture around abuse/harassment/misconduct in Hollywood has improved in the last year Survey 2022. Yet 46.2 percent of respondents still say they or someone they know has experienced abuse or misconduct while working in the screen industry in the past year. That’s a decrease of 33.7 percent compared to the 2022 survey, but still just under half of those surveyed.

Notably, 37.6 percent of respondents felt there was “little to no change” in the prevalence of toxic workplaces between 2022 and 2023. 48.3 percent of people who identify as former entertainment industry workers said they left the industry due to abuse or misconduct.

The WIF hotline, launched in December 2017 to report harassment or abuse on set, expanded in 2022 to include all facets of the entertainment industry, not just on-set encounters. Last year, 20 percent of callers were victims of assault, and 91 percent sought emotional and psychological support.

WIF was founded in 1973 to “reduce gender bias in the film industry by building a pipeline, creating sustainable careers and advocating for change.”

Last year saw “Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland come out over sexual harassment allegations and a canceled Louis CK documentary following assault allegations.