Investigating long term pattern of technology innovation and gender imbalance in filmmaking occupations

Gender gap continues to be a persistent issue in many industries. As many idiosyncratic and institutional factors are discussed, the study in examining female representation and technology innovation is limited. The movie industry, witnessing a digital transformation during the 1980s, is suitable for analyzing the relationship between work-related technology advancement and occupational gender segregation. To find out whether a relationship exists, this research leverages observational data from over 20,000 movies to measure the historical pattern of camera types and the percentage trend of female workers in a position related to camera operation in the U.S. filming industry over the past 100 years. Due to the special setting of the movie industry, where directors can choose to use traditional or innovative technology, this research also sheds light on the gendered difference of technology adoption. This research uses counting approaches, automated text analysis, and regression models to answer two questions: 1) whether traditional technology deters female in career-entry decision-making, and some technology innovation could bridge the gap; 2) As people entering a career, whether a gender disparity exists in adopting and using new technologies. Result presents a strong and robust association of female representation and digital advancement, but the gender difference in adopting new digital technologies after entering the career is not salient.