No laughing matter : what the experiences of women working in the Aotearoa-New Zealand comedy industry can tell us about male-dominated, unregulated workplaces : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
| dc.confidential | Embargo : No | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van Ommen, Clifford | |
| dc.contributor.author | Davies, Bridget | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-16T23:36:17Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-16T23:36:17Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
| dc.description.abstract | With the international development of the #MeToo movement, a similar moment occurred in the Aotearoa-New Zealand (A-NZ) comedy industry. Women shared their experiences of harassment in the industry, and a Working Group emerged with the aim of making the A-NZ comedy industry safer and more inclusive. Drawing upon the existing literature about #MeToo and the challenges women face in male-dominated and unregulated industries, this study aimed to understand women’s experiences in an industry where these factors intersect. The study was based on interviews with 15 women working in the A-NZ comedy industry. A feminist phenomenological thematic analysis of these interviews provided insight into these women's experiences and meaning-making. Three superordinate themes were produced from this analysis. The first, ‘comedy requires negotiating a male-as-norm world’, discussed women's challenges in this male-dominated industry. These included being made to feel that women do not belong in the industry, being judged as a woman rather than on merit, and often feeling isolated as a woman. The second theme, ‘feeling unsafe in an unregulated space,’ discussed how the informal nature of the comedy industry creates additional challenges when combined with comedy being male-dominated. These challenges included women reporting feeling unsafe and unable to speak up. Finally, in the theme, ‘experiencing Aotearoa-New Zealand comedy’s #MeToo moment’, participants reflected on the positive changes they have observed since the initial #MeToo discussions and the challenges of implementing formal solutions in an informal space. These findings align with existing research and demonstrate the importance of the #MeToo moment for women working in the comedy industry and the factors reducing its chance of leading to significant change. Supporting this conclusion, the thesis finishes with a reflection on the specific context in which the study was undertaken, including the implications of a recent decision for the Working Group to stop accepting complaints and what this means for women comedians currently working in Aotearoa-New Zealand. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/69460 | |
| dc.publisher | Massey University | en |
| dc.rights | The Author | en |
| dc.subject | Work environment | en |
| dc.subject | New Zealand | en |
| dc.subject | Psychological aspects | en |
| dc.subject | Women comedians | en |
| dc.subject | Psychology | en |
| dc.subject | Attitudes | en |
| dc.subject | Male domination (Social structure) | en |
| dc.subject | Stand-up comedy | en |
| dc.subject.anzsrc | 520104 Industrial and organisational psychology (incl. human factors) | en |
| dc.subject.anzsrc | 441010 Sociology of gender | en |
| dc.title | No laughing matter : what the experiences of women working in the Aotearoa-New Zealand comedy industry can tell us about male-dominated, unregulated workplaces : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Clinical Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Clinical Psychology | |
| thesis.description.doctoral-citation-abridged | In 2020, a pattern of gender harassment was revealed in the Aotearoa-New Zealand comedy industry. During her doctoral research, Miss Davies spoke with women in comedy about their experiences. This research revealed patterns of exclusion, isolation, scepticism of their abilities, and feeling unsafe while unable to speak out. It also indicated some positive changes felt and challenges in implementing more formal improvements, indicating further work is needed. | |
| thesis.description.doctoral-citation-long | Amidst the global #MeToo movement, a similar moment occurred in the Aotearoa-New Zealand comedy industry. Women shared experiences of gender harassment and discussions began about how to make the industry safer for women. As a comedian herself, Miss Davies sought to contribute to these discussions through her doctoral thesis. This research drew on existing research on male-dominated and unregulated industries and contributed interviews with women in comedy about their experiences in an industry where these factors intersect. Thematic analysis of these interviews revealed patterns of exclusion, isolation, scepticism of their abilities, and feeling unsafe while unable to speak out. Discussion of the #MeToo moment revealed some positive changes and challenges in implementing more formal improvements indicating further work is needed. | |
| thesis.description.name-pronounciation | Bri-jit Day-veez |
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