Research Critique and Proposal. Communications & Media Essay

RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND PROPOSAL
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Research Critique and Proposal
Part 1 - Critique
Source of the research question
This research is based on the social element of trying to expose the social issues which limit career advancement for women in the UK film industry. The research questions stemmed from the zeitgeist on gender issues on the film industry and from existing literature showing gender discrimination of female screenwriters in UK film industry. The researcher is trying to show how the film industry is discriminative to women and how the system has been normalized in the industry. A career in the industry relies on trust and network to mitigate the inherent risk and uncertainty of producing successful films. Therefore, since the industry is largely dominated by white middle and upper males, they largely depend on their network to assemble a ‘trustworthy and competent’ team to bring their ideas to fruition. In the UK film industry, hiring is not based on merit but connections, networks and personal relationship. The industry has normalized nepotism and disregarded formal hiring processes. The researcher argues that it is even harder for budding female screenwriters and non-whites because they do not have connections or the required ‘trust’ to break into the industry. The status quo in the industry is pegged on connections and affinities of habitus. Informal hiring practices overlook women who hardly have as many connections as men. Most producers and big companies need experienced writers whom they trust. They have redefined the term ‘trust’ to be ‘those of their own in terms of gender and race’ and the system has normalized it. There is a lot of sidelined talent which is not lack of substance or experience, but because the evaluation of their content and or creativity is largely subjective. The financiers also look for notable names in the industry with whom they can trust to work with.
How the researcher approached the research
The researcher first analyzed related literature on the subject. She then realized a gap in knowledge on how institutionalized gender discrimination limited the chances for success for female screenwriters and sought to find out why. The research also helped her to know what other researchers had found out on the subject she was tackling. Her secondary research is evident from the bibliography and also through many intext citations she drew from these sources. For example, the researcher notes that ‘My research supports Bielby’s claim that, in the film industry, ‘high levels of risk and uncertainty’ turn stereotyping and discrimination ‘into everyday business practices’ (Wreyford, 2015). It is evident that she based her research on previous literature published on the subject but sought to narrow down to screenwriters. After studying the literature, she came up with a specific area in which she knew had not been researched on before and tackled it. Review of existing literature on a subject is important to avoid doing research and adding redundant literature on a subject.
The researcher also conducted interviews on her sample po...