Creative industries’ new entrants as equality, diversity and inclusion change agents?

ABSTRACT

This paper considers how new entrants to the Creative Industries view the challenge of achieving equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector. The research adopts a case study approach based on a snowball sample and interviews with 21 new entrants to media work. All were graduates of the same media degree programme and all were based in Ireland and worked in the audio-visual sector, PR, communications, marketing, content creation or advertising, as well as in media-related roles in non-media organisations and companies. The key findings are that new entrants do see the need for EDI initiatives in creative industries. However, they frame EDI interventions in terms of the needs of individuals. Because of their new entrant status they do not see themselves as being in a strong position to advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion in creative industries and so do not view themselves as change agents.

KEYWORDS:

• Equality
• diversity
• inclusion
• new entrants
• creative industries

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the respondents who gave so freely of their time to contribute to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).