The Pursuit of Change – Raising Films Ireland Wants to Hear from Carers & Parents Working in the Irish Creative Screen Industry
Posted: 11th May 2021
Help us make our industry more inclusive.
Has becoming a carer or a parent had an impact on your career in the screen industries? Did you find returning from maternity leave difficult? Would you like to see more a more flexible work-life balance within the Irish creative screen industries?
We need to hear what you have to say.
In order to make our industry more inclusive, Raising Films Ireland is launching a new survey to gather information on the impact of becoming a carer or a parent has had on your career within the creative screen industry.
It’s your industry, have your voice heard.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that flexible and remote working is possible. Throughout the pandemic, our industry has showcased just how innovative we can be when it comes to solving problems and getting the job done. Help us take the first steps towards finding creative solutions for parents and carers within the creative screen industry, by collecting the data we need to make a difference.
Commenting on the launch, Ailish Bracken, Raising Films Ireland Chair and Irish film producer, said:
"This is the first survey of its kind in our country's industry. I would encourage all those working in the creative industries, whether you are currently a parent or carer, or not, to participate as it covers all demographics and the information will be invaluable.
The Raising Films Ireland Board and I are very excited to be taking this step towards gaining as much information as we can about our industry and the impacting issues surrounding the parents and carers in it, as well as those trying to remain in it or get back into it. I look forward to the results it will garner and the comparative data it will contribute to across Raising Films global network.
I want to thank our board, Raising Films in the UK for their guidance and support and Screen Skills Ireland, without which Raising Films Ireland and this survey would not be possible. I would also like to applaud the immense work that our research team has put into building this survey.”
The research is being overseen by Dr Susan Liddy, a lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication Studies in MIC, the Chair of Women in Film and Television Ireland and a board member of Raising Films Ireland. Dr Liddy said:
“Never before have we attempted to gather data on this scale and to so comprehensively analyse the experiences of parents and carers in its workforce. We know a certain amount from smaller studies that have focused solely on mothers. But we are still in the dark about the extent of the problem, the impact on fathers and on individuals who care for other loved ones, apart from children.
This survey will provide us with the bigger picture and give us an in-depth insight into how the industry, as currently constructed, impacts on individuals and families. They say knowledge is power and, with your help, this survey will empower us all to work more effectively for change.”
This critical research is supported by the Screen Skills Ireland Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme.
About Raising Films Ireland
Raising Films Ireland’s mission is to support, promote and campaign for parents and carers in the Irish creative screen sector. Raising Films Ireland carries out industry surveys across a range of concerns affecting parents and/or carers working in the screen sector. The findings revealed through all our research interventions are used to inform, educate, inspire and provoke change.
Raising Films Ireland works in partnership with key organisations to create surveys and work with academics specialising in research to interrogate the data. The reports we publish bring together quantitative and qualitative data and where possible offer recommendations for industry implementation.