The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced in April that they would make diversity a priority in both workforce and content.
The BBC has pledged to resolve gender disparity by ensuring that at least half of their 21,000 employee workforce will be female. In addition, the broadcaster will make an effort to ensure ethnic minorities, the disabled, and lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people will also be equally represented in the workforce.
The BBC has stated they plan to “meet or better” their representation of the population of the UK by 2020, and they are well on their way to this goal.
Currently, 48.4% of their employees are comprised of women, 41.3% of which are in leadership roles. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done if they are to meet their 2020 implementation deadline. At that time, they ensure that black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) employees will make up 15% of its staff, leadership, and on-screen workforce; 8% will be made up of the disabled; and 8% of LGBT people.
“Significant steps forward have been taken, but it is important to us that the BBC is truly representative of all our audiences – diversity is more than any single characteristic,” a BBC spokesperson said.
If they follow through with their plans, it will certainly be exciting to see. If the BBC ensures their hiring practices will reflect equal representation and opportunity for all people, other major corporations will also be expected to follow suit in taking a greater initiative for diversity.