Call to Women in the Animation Industry. Participate in a research from the University of Vienna
EWA Network is collaborating with the University of Vienna, with the Department of Communication for the research study, "Women in the Animation Industry" with the Prof. Dr. Katharine Sarikakis, Chair of Media Governance, Organisation and Media Industries, BA Ceren Emiroglu and BA Vinzenz Kuntze.
This research project examines the position and experiences of women in the contemporary animation and audiovisual industry, with a primary focus on Europe and a comparative perspective beyond Europe. Although animation is a growing and influential sector, women continue to be underrepresented, particularly in creative and decision-making roles, despite their high participation in animation education (Arshad, 2024).
Participants: Women aged 18 and over working with the animation technique.
Method: The study consists of interviews with ideally 30-40 participants.
Topics: The interviews will cover questions about work, personal experiences, challenges for women, supportive structures, storytelling, and career paths/training.
Duration: The interviews will each last approx. 45 minutes or if prefered, the interview can be replaced by an online questionnaire to ensure your convenience.
The replies of the questionnaire can be sent to BA Ceren Emiroglu or schedule an online interview with her. Her email can be found here a11845510 at unet.univie.ac.at
Consent form can be downloaded here.
PROJECT SUMMARY
This project aims to connect the existing strengths, identify and overcome weaknesses and plan for future competitiveness in the fields of policy, practice and experience. More concretely, the project’s objectives are, on the one hand, to explore the long-standing strengths and pervasive gaps in European competitiveness and policies for competitiveness .This includes ways of ‘measuring’ ‘analysing’ and ‘evaluating’ the impact of policies and strategic pathways. On the other hand, the project aspires to place attention to the active
preparation for the future in the area of audiences by exploring audience preferences and their generation, as well as modes of film content production.
The latter are elements which today’s youth will carry and engage with in the coming decades as makers and consumers, as well as industry and policy leaders. Therefore, the consortium interrogates not only the ‘what is’ but also the ‘what has been’ and ‘what will be’ with fresh lenses.
REBOOT’s ambition is to provide a full set of knowledge of the European film industry, which maximises its existing strengths, combined with strategic and tactical dimensions of action for the optimisation of the potential held in European youth publics, understood both as emerging audiences and as citizens. Specifically, the ambition of the project combines several dimensions, which reinforce each other but are listed separately for analytical purposes (and in no particular order):
- increasing support for young people’s engagement with European film;
-strengthening the place of the EU in the global audiovisual economy, particularly in light of the rise of video on demand (VOD);
-supporting cultural diversity in the EU film industry;
-addressing the need for a different understanding of competitiveness and relevant indicators in this context; and
-recognising and supporting the importance for the EU of film and, more broadly, of the cultural and creative sector as a geopolitical asset.
MOTIVATION
The main motivation for this research is that the animation and audiovisual industry is still largely male-dominated. Key areas like creative leadership, decision-making roles, and access to funding are mostly controlled by men. Studies and industry reports show a gap between education and professional life: while many animation students in Europe and the U.S. are women, their representation drops sharply in the industry, especially in leadership roles (Brewer, 2018; Women in Animation, 2023). This research aims to understand how structural factors such as funding systems, informal networks, workplace cultures, and contribute to this gap and affect women’s career paths.
The study is guided by two main questions: what is the current status of women in the animation industry, and how do women build visibility, networks, and sustainable careers within it. To explore these questions, the project uses an exploratory qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with women professionals and organizations, supported by academic literature and industry reports.
To answer these questions, the research uses a qualitative and exploratory methodology. Rather than focusing on numbers alone, we aim to understand lived experiences, recurring challenges, and practical strategies through semi-structured conversations with women professionals and organizations supporting women in the audiovisual sector.
An important focus of the research is the role of organizations and networks that support women in the audiovisual field. These organizations play a vital role by providing mentoring, training, networking opportunities, and advocacy, while also contributing to broader structural change within the industry.
By focusing not only on challenges but also on existing solutions and good practices, this research aims to contribute to a more constructive understanding of gender equality in the animation industry and to highlight pathways toward a more inclusive and sustainable sector.