Women's Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America

Women's Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America was founded in 1979 by six women members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). Its purpose was to investigate the employment opportunities and hiring practices of film studios.^[1] The founding members, known as the Original Six, were Lynne Littman, Susan Bay, Nell Cox, Victoria Hochberg, Joelle Dobrow, and Dolores Ferraro.

The members' investigation led them to file a class-action lawsuit against the studios in the 1980s. However, on March 5, 1985, the case was dismissed before there had been any significant legal activity when the judge removed the DGA as the class representative.^[2]

Despite this legal setback, the Committee over the years was able to increase the employment of women directors from 0.5% in 1985 to 16% in 1995.^[3]

The members' investigation and lawsuit is referenced and explored in the 2018 documentary film, This Changes Everything.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Original Six (directors)

References

1. ""Original Six" who sued Hollywood studios in 1980s talk gender discrimination". Women in the World. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
2. • Smukler, Maya Montañez (2019). "Chapter 4: " Radicalizing the Directors Guild of America "". Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s. Rutgers University Press. pp. 262–271. ISBN 978-0813587479.
   • Smukler, Maya Montañez (2014). Working Girls: The History of Women Directors in 1970s Hollywood. University of California, Los Angeles. A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements of the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Television
3. Giese, Maria (2014-09-24). "DGA Celebrates Women Directors, But What's the Next Move?". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-03-10.

Further reading

• Smukler, Maya Montañez (2019). "Chapter 4: " Radicalizing the Directors Guild of America "". Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors and the Feminist Reform of 1970s. Rutgers University Press. pp. 262–271. ISBN 978-0813587479.
• Smukler, Maya Montañez (2014). Working Girls: The History of Women Directors in 1970s Hollywood. University of California, Los Angeles. A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements of the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Television