6. Being Outnumbered

This chapter investigates how women screenwriters navigate a labour market where they are frequently outnumbered by men. Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus is applied to understand how women may feel—and indeed may be—shut out from employment opportunities. Analysing film workers’ talk illustrates how subjective judgements of creative work can be a further barrier to women, even after securing a commission. Focusing on the role of a director in moving a film project forwards towards finance and production, film workers describe the instinctive personal connection to a project deemed necessary. The habitus offers a way to understand how the lack of women directors has dire consequences for women screenwriters who struggle disproportionately to see their stories on the big screen.