Hello fellow animation enthusiasts!
I’m an aspiring student of animation and am currently doing a paper in school on women in the animation industry, both 3D and classical. I was hoping to get some feedback from women or men who know of women who are students or working professionals in the animation industry regarding the topics below. Thank you in advance for all of those who respond!!!!!!
1. As a woman in the industry, do you find any issues regarding your gender that create any kind of difficulty or barrier for your opportunities to succeed?
-Did any barriers exist in your time as a student?
-Did any barriers exist in your time as a professional?
2. What kind of ratio did you experience of male to female employees and/or students in your field?
3. What kind of ratio did you experience of male to female employees and/or students working in leading positions in your field?
4. Has your being married had a strong influence on your career choice?
5. Did your working experience in the animation industry have an effect on your choices to have children? Please explain.
6. If any, what would you say is the biggest barrier/challenge for women in the animation industry?
7. Is there any advice that you would chose to give to a young woman aspiring to enter the animation industry?
PS. Please specify if your experiences are in the classical animation and/or computer animation industry. Thank you!
Well, I'm not yet a "finished educated" animator, which means, I havn't studied animation yet. But as I'm working in the film business for almost two years, I think I could answer a few of the questions.
1. No, there were no real barriers, but maaaaany pejudices. As animation is a male dominated field, many companies were surprised, that a woman could do animation too (especially 3D!). But after seeing me working very hard and recognizing that I'm a little talented too, they were convinced, that male or female doesn't matter.
2. + 3. My personal experience is
2. ca. 80% male, 20% female
3. ca. 90% male, 10% female
4. I don't really understand the question, but a marriage I would see totally seperate from my job. Has got nothing to do with it.
5. But children have got to do much with the job, because children influence your whole life. So you've got a great responsibility, and I think with the time pressure of an animator, that isn't easy to handle.
For me personally: I first want to establish myself in the business, before having children.
6. Just these stupid pejudices.
7. My advice is, that no woman should be awed by animation, just because it's a male dominated business. Often you've got to put more effort in your work at the beginning to convince them, but as they see, you're talented, they'll treat you equal as men.
So I do both, traditional and computer animation...
Best regards ;)
BTW: The prejudices always are only based on the fact, that there aren't many female animators.
http://violabaier.blogspot.com/
Hi,
There are other animation forums on the web, you should find them and post your question on them also. You might think about emailing the different schools around the world, you could get a respond from the students and teachers there too.
This website might help: http://www.womeninanimation.org/
Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com
Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com
AWN Showcase Gallery
Bandita,
Thankyou very much for your throrough response, that is very helpful!
Wontobe- I will definately look for other forums too, thanks for the tip! The more data the merrier. :)
Sharvonique- That is a very good website, but in order to post on the forum I have to be a member. Since I'm not an official student of a real animation program (will be next august! woo!) I can't really take part in it yet. But thanks for the linky anyway!
Any more responses to the questions? Everything is helpful. Thankyou!!!
Do you have to register to get listed on that page? Just wondering why the very obvious female big shots like Ellen Woodbury and Nancy Beiman are missing.
Fazendinha- Thankyou very very much! :D
pcdoctor- Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!
phacker- I agree, marriage should be an equal factor when it comes to such things. To explain why I included this question, the class I'm writing this paper for is called Women in Science and non-traditional fields. As we have studied and discussed in the past, women in the science world have been greatly effected by their marriage if they were ever to do any kind of science. Some women were only able to have freedom to practice science or medicine if their husbands were never at home (which was common), deceased, or supportive of their wive's ambitions (the later of which rarely occured intil the 1900's). I am using this question in my studies to see what is going on in the married woman's world in the animation industry. Because supportive husbands (when it comes to career ambitions) are much more common today, I'm not suprised to hear of little issues. But I wanted to at least cover it in case of any suprises.
Jabberwocky- Yes, you do have to be a member as I explained before. But I am not yet a real student of animation yet so I can't really join up. :(
Where are you located Temris?, because here in the United States those kind of questions are not allowed to be asked by employers. Certainly the issues are still taken into consideration I am sure. But I would hate to see things backslide here to the point, where women are considered second class citizens again. It takes both sexes to make a baby, and it should be considered the responsibility of both to rear a child.
It was both Marie and Pierre Curie that developed the theories on radiation. Did Marie need Pierre's permission to work...I hope not, and certainly not in this day and age.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
I am located in the US. And I am aware that such things can be taboo. But I believe that in the form of how I asked, I asked nothing unfair or illegal.
I can give you some examples of female scientists that I'm referring to if you like. Many of these which lived in Europe. Emilie du Chatalete is one, she studied physics with her friend and lover Voltaire (the poet) while her husband was away all the time (some time in 1700-1899). In the medieval ages, the only way women would be allowed to study any sciences is if they were a part of a nunnery because it wouldnt be allowed if they were a wife. I know these are ancient examples, but I'm really just trying to show that it really did happen, and I am aware that this kind of stuff doesnt happen near as much today, especially in the US. But because I was using my professor's survey of women scientists as a source for the context of my questions, I felt a need to reflect on this question as well. Even today some of the women scientists (we're talking since the 1960's to 2002) women scientists have been held back by controlling husbands. I agree that there should be no reason for this, I'm just undermining whether it exists or not. Does that make sense? I hate to make you all think that I believe that marriage should have an effect on such a thing because I most certainly don't. I'm just tryin to uncover the truth.
Thankyou very much, Akai_joy! This project of mine is proving to be quite a challenge, and this feedback is a big help to me! Thanks! :D
Any more feedback from anyone on this forum? I only have a few days before I turn in my paper. :)
Thanks to all again for helping out!
Yes. Women in Animation is a professional organization, so you have to pay a small, yearly membership fee to join. The websites that you see on the gallery page are from members who requested to have their websites displayed.
Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com
Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com
AWN Showcase Gallery
Jabberwocky- Oh, I'm sorry I misunderstood your message. Thanks Sharvonique.
And if anyone else wouldnt mind, you can also send me a response to the questions to my email (sorry I didnt think of that before). ladytempyst@hotmail.com
Thankyou all!
Hi Temris,
I just returned to the States from France after graduating in computer graphics and more specially in 3D computer animation. As I am still looking for a job, all my answers will be more oriented towards my experience in university.
1. There weren't really any kind of barriers but a lot of curiosity i would say. Most co-students were really surprised that as a woman i was passioned with video games and computer animation. So male teachers and co-students weren't really prejudiced but awaited a lot, but were also ready to help a lot. Although I got some stupid commentaries from time to time, even from my research supervisor, but nothing really nasty. Men all tried to be really sweet with me, as there are so little women in this field.
2. 70% men, 30% women in all computer science fields (and it's decreasing each year, at least in france).
85% men, 15% women in the field of computer graphics.
4. I am not married yet, but have a fiance and that never interferred with my studies, on the contrary, him being a student too, he was very supportive.
5. No children yet, and no plans having any, but not because of my professional choices.
6. Working surrounded by men lol (just joking, i prefer being surrounded by men than by women perhaps that was what led me to this field :confused: )
7. Not to be afraid or hesitate if it is what she wants to do. Very often it is not the people in the field that put up barriers but the person herself by being afraid to stand out.
you're welcome! Hope that this will help!
"check it out, you know it makes sense!" http://miaumau.blogspot.com/
I'm not an animator but I've always loved cartoons.
I'm a female computer techie/network admin.
There will always be barriers in a field where men dominate it.
Here is one of my favorite websites.
You can email Taylor and she will respond.
www.theflashdiva.com
My question is why don't these factors effect men equally as well? And why aren't they ask the same questons? Marriage is a partnership I thought... why aren't the responsibilities viewed to be equally spread across the sexes?
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
Good luck on your project! And thank you for the baby shower! :D
The few women I've known to tackle animation have usually been better than the average male. I don't know if this means women are better than the average male, or if it is only the exceptional talents that have the confidence and determination to pursue this line of work.
a few notable female animators:
Rita Scott - with her work on Bambi became the first female Disney animator
Lillian Friedman - in 1933 became the first female animator in Hollywood(at Fleischer Bros).
Lotte Reiniger - in 1926 directed the acclaimed animated feature "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (This pre dates Disney's Snow White and is the oldest surviving animated feature)
Faith Hubley - co-created several short films with her husband UPA director and animator John Hubley. Following his death she became established as a creative force in her own right, producing a further 24 animated films.
Wow! This project I did was from a year ago. KYLE!!! How did you find me here??? lol!
Bolesy, I was able to research most of the female animators you mentioned but I surprisingly didnt know about Rita Scott. But the rest I did research on. Thanks for the help anyway, even though I finished the assignment so long ago.
Now I'm in real animation school and using all my lessons for the real world. Fun stuff! ^_^
Thanks!
I know that this is too late, but I think that there is a way to check the credits listed on animated feature films for women. It might be something that can be done at imdb.com, but I am not sure. There was a female animator on "The Incredibles" maybe two. Good luck with the paper.