Not being a morning person, it’s rare that anything will send me bouncing out of bed at 6am. Anything to do with comedy or feminism, however, has a good shot. Getting to go to the live broadcast of the Woman’s Hour Power List last Tuesday at Broadcasting House was a dream come true, and nearly a week on, it’s likely that a lot of Funny Women readers will have formed their own opinions on the Top 100. What does the Power List show us – and what might it look like in five years time? And for us here at Funny Women Towers, what does it represent for women in comedy and the rest of the arts sector?
With 11 names, the arts had a significant presence on the list. Included were author J.K. Rowling and Ambassadors Theatre Group leader Rosemary Squire (both in the Top 20) – but the section also featured names such as Sarah Millican, Dawn French and Joanna Lumley. If – as the panel said – we take this as a ‘snapshot’ of female power in Britain today, it certainly doesn’t seem that women in comedy are underrepresented. But from a personal point of view I still feel that whatever the list might suggest, we are.
I’ve wanted to work in comedy for most of my life. Early exposure to French & Saunders, Smack The Pony and most of Victoria Wood’s back catalogue means I’ve never questioned the ability of women to be funny, and I’m stunned every time someone writes an article claiming we can’t and actually manages to get it published.
But it’s arguably harder to book gigs if you’re a woman, there’s less of a female presence on most TV panel shows, and while there’s some very successful women out there, there’s far more of a male presence in everything from performance to production. There seems to be a constant discussion throughout the media of whether this is “the time” for women to have a real breakthrough in comedy, but it’s easy to ignore the fact that before Miranda Hart and Sarah Millican there was Ruth Jones. And before that, the Smack the Pony team. And Victoria Wood. Women aren’t becoming funny; we’ve always been here, and the fact that we only just seem to be celebrating our talents now suggests that we’ve still got a long way to go.
I sat next to a friend – also there for work purposes, but for the Girl Guides. Flicking ahead to our respective points of interest on the list, she was shocked to find only one name in the voluntary sectors. Eve Pollard, chairing the panel, worried that the list could represent a shift backwards for women. She pointed out that as many women go to university now as men, yet there was so little representation of some sectors. Why are there no women at the top of the military, only two women in the FTSE top 100 and just one woman editing a national paper? If I feel underrepresented, what does that mean for women whose sectors on the list had even fewer names?
I believe that everyone should have something to say about feminism. But I also feel that sometimes only the realization that you, personally, are affected by a gender gap sparks this discussion; that a lack of equality means that your own career prospects or talents are limited. If the list is a ‘snapshot’, should we be using it to analyse where our successes and failures currently lie?
The debate between power and influence was an interesting one. Heather Rabbatts argued that they are, at least in this point in time, different entities. Dawn O’Porter disagreed, saying that power, influence and inspiration are slowly merging to become one and the same. Adele, for example, was included because of the way that her music and personality speaks to a generation of younger people. This is definitely an example of influence – but perhaps power too.
O’Porter did address the fact that Caitlin Moran nearly made the list, largely because of the way that her book, How To Be A Woman re-instigated a widespread discussion of feminism back into the media last year. Moran is a personal inspiration for me because she manages to provoke debate but still be incredibly funny; the book got a lot of people I knew talking about gender issues, but also made me laugh so hard on the train home that I spilt tea all over myself, before immediately recommending it to everyone I knew. Her work is a fantastic example of real influence – but if it’s creating discussion and dusting off the word “feminism” to make it accessible to people who didn’t really understand what it meant before, arguably, isn’t that powerful too?
O’Porter wondered whether the rise of social media was partly responsible for this blurring of boundaries. For anyone passionate about comedy, the rise of social media and the internet has been brilliant. Suddenly, you don’t have to be able to book gigs in front of thousands of people to be noticed. There’s the rise of Twitter, the use of Youtube and video blogs to reach an audience, and a myriad of ways to promote your shows to anyone who’ll listen, even if that show’s in a tiny corner at the back of the pub. And of course, there are websites – like Funny Women – that connect people to organizations that can support their talents.
Julia Hobsbawm made an excellent point towards the end of the discussion; that regardless of age, race, class or sector, all of these women on the list more than likely have two things in common. They will have networks that they have created for themselves, and they will have had someone in their lives – usually another woman – to champion them at some point. Having people who believe in you is one of the most important factors in gaining power or influence.
So, what is the answer if women are still being underrepresented in comedy? Do we encourage venues to hire more female stand-ups, or make sure we’re striking a fair balance with male and female writers when scripts get developed? Do we write better parts for women on TV and in film, or hope that more women find a way into comedy production and promotion?
I believe that when it comes to making all of the above happen, networks are important; people who want to support you and hope you succeed are vital. I wanted to intern at Funny Women over any other comedy magazine because the company shares a similar belief to me when it comes to supporting women in the industry. Funny Women is also more that just a website or forum; running the Funny Woman Awards, promoting shows and offering workshops for beginners means that the Funny Women team support and nurture women in comedy, and give the women who need it a way to demonstrate their talents. If the list is going to change over the next few years, it’s networks such as this that are the most important.
To read Funny Women founder Lynne Parker's take on the Woman's Hour Power List click HERE
Isabel Dixon graduated from York University in 2011, is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers programme, and is interning at Funny Women.
