When I speak to my friends outside of the industry, the stark difference between those who are in it and those who are not becomes clear.

The concept of a 9 to 5, where you can clock in and clock out, does not exist in our world. If there is a call coming in, you take it. There is always a fire. There is always an issue with scheduling. There is always a last-minute change. (I’ll take “What is free time for a producer?” for $500, Alex). We are committed. We are driven. We are soldiers. We are ready for anything. “Copy.” “Standby.”

However, in March of 2020, I believe we all had the rug pulled out from under us. News had been trickling in about this COVID-19 virus that was affecting the Eastern side of the world. Terrifyingly, cases began to pop up in Canada. Then, three weeks to “flatten the curve.” Stay home. Stop everything. Make a sourdough.

This grim concept of a new reality, not just something that would elapse and get better, started to settle in. It was seeming as though our productions were getting postponed far beyond the time we allotted for, one by one. Weeks turned into months and it was becoming clear to us that there was no end in sight. A worldwide pandemic. How could we even begin to fathom that?

The pandemic has been excruciatingly difficult for those in our industry, especially women. After nearly two years of living in this new dimension, we have empirical evidence that has seen women, the aforementioned soldiers, have their careers take a backseat so they can manage their new surroundings and new roles.

According to Women In Film and Television Canada Coalition’s (WIFT-CC) Family Care Report, released last October, “…women had to assume the role of teacher and nurse for their families in addition to their already extensive caregiving and household duties. Many women have been forced to stop working outside the home: by mid-pandemic it was estimated that 100,000 women in Canada had left the workforce, 10 times the rate of men.” In other industries, only about four times as many women as men left the labour force. One is left to ask how there can be such an apparent contrast.

As previously noted, the hours in this industry are far beyond what is expected in most other industries. Realistically, daycare and family care should be the solution, however, those schedules do not sync up to those that are expected of our industry professionals. To add insult to injury, these care facilities are not often affordable for the majority. These matters were made far worse during the pandemic and women have been shouldering the impact, leading to a huge disparity in their ability to work.

Being a producer by nature, we are not meant to simply present the issues, rather, we are meant offer solutions to said problems. I believe that the following will go a long way:

1. There is limited funding and availability for childcare or family care. As it stands currently, federal and provincial government agencies do not allow childcare as an allowable production budget line item. I read [in the WIFT-CC report] that in order to implement change, the government must require culturally appropriate, affordable and flexible child and family care as a production budget line item in order for projects to be eligible for federal or provincial labour-based tax credits and/or government agency funding by 2024.

2. I believe in women supporting women. I was so grateful to have a network of women who were eager to be actionable. We would have Zoom meetings together over the course of the pandemic in which we would brainstorm, share advice and build connections. Making more space for women on set is also hugely beneficial. Production company Blue Ice Pictures, for instance, employed all non-binary and female directors and writers for their new show, Astrid & Lilly Save the World. This was shot during the pandemic.

3. The “work-life balance” of the screen industry is notably unbalanced. Long hours, compulsory overtime, and gig working conditions keep out people with family obligations or limit their opportunities. Perhaps by setting boundaries with the help of unions and broadening production schedules, we will be able to design a new reality in which we can be more present in our day-to-day lives without the opportunity cost. I don’t believe we have to choose one or the other—simply be more strategic about approach.

4. I love seeing female-driven organizations like WIFT, whose mission is to build and advance the careers of their members by providing professional development, peer support, and mentorship in collaboration with industry partners. They have shed light on so many issues in our industry concerning women and have many resources to support causes.

Rachelle Elbaz got her start in Montreal at the Just for Laughs international comedy festival and then moved to Toronto, where she’s been head of marketing at HangLoose Media and District 28. She’s also worked in business development at Eggplant Picture & Sound and as a producer at Blue Ice Pictures. Elbaz has worked with brands including YouTube, Google, Nintendo and Mastercard. She’s currently a producer for 8112 Studios, shooting for Amazon Web Services.