Variety (issue on-stands July 9, 2019) mentions Liberating Hollywood by Maya Montañez Smukler.
“The current gains are the result of decades-long efforts by advocates and activists determined to change the gender ratios in the industry. In the modern history of filmmaking, attempts to document and boost women’s employment can be traced to the creation of the DGA Women’s Steering Committee in 1979. In her excellent and deeply researched book, “Liberating Hollywood,” Maya Montañez Smukler discusses how a group of dedicated women — Susan Bay, Nell Cox, Joelle Dobrow, Dolores Ferraro, Victoria Hochberg and Lynne Littman — spent almost a year poring over deal memos provided by the guild. They found that women directed an infinitesimal 0.19% of films released by major distribution companies between 1949 and 1979. ”
Read the full article here: https://variety.com/2019/voices/columns/gender-ratios-indie-films-improving-1203263005/