UK screen leaders call for renewed focus on women's equality with launch of new guide
Published: 18 June 2025
An evidence-based guide that will support women in film and television was launched at the University of Glasgow
An evidence-based guide that will support women in film and television was launched at an event at the University of Glasgow.
The Deeds Not Words Policy Design Guide provides advice on designing and reviewing policies, interventions and action plans.
Sara Putt, Talent Agent and BAFTA Chair, is one of ten screen industry leaders who drafted and tested the Deeds Not Words Guide.
She said: “With others I am calling for a renewed focus on women's equality in the film and TV industries. Even with some significant gains and enormous effort, overall progress is slow. Now, the global economic and political environment is putting fragile progress in jeopardy. Concerted action on women's equity is needed now as much as it ever was.”
The Deeds Not Words Guide is based on three years of international research co-led by Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof of the University of Glasgow, and CEO/Creative Director of the not-for-profit company Design Otherwise.
Doris Ruth Eikhof, Professor of Cultural Economy & Policy and CEO/Creative Director of Design Otherwise, who co-led the research and convened the screen industry expert group that drafted and tested the Guide, said at the event:
“Although there has been a surge of gender equity policies in the countries analysed (UK, Germany and Canada) and some good advances made, progress is patchy and slow. For example, the overall research found that if the rate of change in the UK remains the same, women won’t hold 50% of the key creative jobs in film until 2085. That was why a key recommendation of our research report was for more co-ordination and greater emphasis on scale change at scale. I brought the industry expert team together so they could make use of our policy analysis to achieve that, and I am delighted with the results. The Guide is designed to help turn words on the page into effective action for change to support women.”
Professor Eikhof added: “Not everyone in film and TV agrees on how we should talk about gender equity or women’s equality, and the Deeds Not Words initiative was in part born out of my frustration at how often conversations about improving equity for women have, in recent years, stalled at the very first, definitional hurdle. There is enough - in fact, plenty - common ground for us to work together, to improve women’s equity with strategic, collective action, and that within that action, there can be room for individuals and organisations to tailor their approaches.”
The Deeds Not Words Guide contains six questions the expert group recommends using when designing policies, interventions and action plans to support women’s equity in film and TV.
Philippa Childs Head of Bectu, and part of the expert group said: “Bectu’s own research consistently shows that women consider leaving the film and TV industry at a higher rate than men, often driven out by inadequate support and an unwillingness from many parts of the industry to embrace things like flexible working and job sharing.
“But the Deeds not Words Policy Design Guide shows that another way is possible, offering practical tips and tools to better plan policies that support gender equity. And Bectu’s own Scotland-based training provider, Bectu Vision, have demonstrated through a number of practical examples that we can make film and TV workplaces safer and fairer for everyone.
“I’m really pleased to have been part of the expert group behind the Guide and to add Bectu’s voice to the call for renewed progress on women’s equality in film and TV. The current model is simply not sustainable and if the industry wants to retain its talent, it must do better by the women who are critical to its success.”
Jane Muirhead, MD Raise the Roof Productions, Chair of Pact Council, and a speaker at the event, said: "There are so many pressures facing the industry just now that sometimes it can be hard to keep the focus on creating a fairer, better, working environment. This event (Deeds not Words 2025) is a welcome opportunity for us to come together and say we're more than 50% of the population. Let's talk about what we need, and what our companies need to foster creativity."
The Deeds Not Words Guide launched on 17 June 2025 at the University of Glasgow with keynotes from talent agent and BAFTA Chair, Sara Putt and Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof.
The event was chaired by TV broadcaster Laura Maciver (in a personal capacity), with a welcome from Professor Chris Pearce, Vice-Principal Research & Knowledge Exchange, University of Glasgow. A panel discussion including Sara Putt, Miranda Wayland (CEO Creative Diversity Network), Glasgow based Amy Shaw (Bectu Vision) and Jane Muirhead, MD Raise the Roof Productions and Chair of Pact.
First published: 18 June 2025