Covid ‘shatters’ fragile support network for mothers working in TV, study says

‘Working in television has always been like balancing on a tightrope but Covid cut it in two’

Over half of women were involved in a TV production that was either cancelled or delayed during the pandemic

The pandemic has “shattered” an already “fragile” support network for mothers working in TV, according to a new study.

The report, which was carried out by the Institute for Screen Industries Research, found around half of mothers working in the TV industry have not been able to accept work offered to them due to struggling to access childcare.

Over half of women were involved in a TV production that was either cancelled or delayed during the pandemic, while the same proportion said they had found it difficult to find sufficient work.

The study, titled Locked Down and Locked Out, found six in 10 said they have seriously contemplated leaving the TV industry during the public health crisis.

Researchers, who polled 523 mothers working in television, found some 29 said they had been made redundant, while 61 said a work contract had ended earlier than it was supposed to.

Some 5 per cent of all the women polled say they contemplated taking their own lives during the pandemic.

“Women feel abandoned by the government, by the TV industry, and not supported enough by partners,” Natalie Grant, who was involved in the research, told The Independent.

“Women have been just about clinging on, somehow managing, but now they have lost access to childcare in the pandemic. Women we have been speaking to have had finances so completely decimated, they can’t afford to go back to work. If you have had six months with no work in pandemic, how do you come back from that?”

She said virtually all of the women polled had struggled with their mental health – adding that research released before the pandemic found two-thirds of people working in film and TV have experienced depression.

The previous report, conducted by the Film and TV Charity, notes this is substantially higher than the two in five people who have suffered depression nationally in the wider population.

Ms Grant, a co-director at Share My Telly Job, a campaign group dedicated to flexible working, said: “There is a 24-7 culture of whatever it takes to get the job done. It becomes more than your job because of that. Excessively long working hours are endemic in the industry. We have had some people reporting over 90 hours a week and even 23 hours in one day.

“The report shows a lot of employers in TV refused to pay furlough even when people were entitled to it.”

She said issues around staff in TV being overworked have been exacerbated by the axing of budgets and not enough time being given to scheduling.

“Ten years ago there would be six weeks in production. Now you are given three weeks, and there have been reductions to the number of people on the team,” she added.

Ms Grant, who campaigns for more flexible working conditions in TV, said the fact many people working in TV are on freelance contracts makes it a very insecure industry.

“This precarity compounds competition for jobs,” she added. “A lot of experienced people leave – especially women – you end up with a largely inexperienced workforce. You are more likely to see sexual harassment and workplace bullying if nobody is a grown-up on set.”

Ms Grant warned there is a staffing crisis in TV and younger, childless employees have been promoted, as she urged employers to consider how to “retain experienced talent”.

The research, which Telly Mums Network was also involved in, found pandemic life had been particularly tough for freelance mothers and those from minority ethnic groups who work in TV.

“I am at a loss as to what to do,” one woman said. “I am an educated, successful professional who feels like I have no options available and have been forced through a combination of factors to become a housewife. I love my career, but I fear that it will be impossible to continue unless opportunities and attitudes change towards mothers.”

Researchers warned that mothers polled felt employers acted like they were “disposable”, often replacing them with men or women who do not have caring duties, resulting in them being “locked out from careers which have taken years to build”.

Before the pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found the UK already had one of the most expensive childcare systems in the world.

“The TV industry doesn’t care about freelancers, our mental wellbeing or our safety – we are disposable and it’s fundamentally rotten at its core,” one woman said.

While another added: “Working in television has always been like balancing on a tightrope but Covid cut it in two.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.