Behind the Sony Scandal: Organized Sexism in Hollywood Talent Agencies

• In Event: 553 - Section on Race, Class and Gender Paper Session. Creating Change: Race, Gender, Class and the Politics of the Arts and Performance

Abstract

Hollywood talent agencies are powerful organizations that structure the labor market for actors, directors, and writers. This article applies Joan Acker’s theory of gendered organizations to understand the organizational structures that inhibit or discourage women from becoming talent agents. Through interviews conducted with talent agents, I found four primary ways in which talent agencies favored men and formed obstacles for women: (1) a culture of overt sexism; (2) men’s monopoly of powerful positions; (3) homophily and patrimony in professional networks; and (4) masculine symbols. This paper illuminates the exclusionary organizational structures operating within talent agencies that may help explain the underrepresentation of women talent agents.

Author

• Samantha Jones Simon, University of Texas at Austin