A Contract for Change
A Diversity Rider (or Inclusion Rider) is a powerful legal provision that can be added to the contract of an influential actor, director, or producer to enforce equitable and inclusive hiring practices on a film production. It functions as a contractual obligation that legally binds the production company to audition and interview a diverse pool of candidates for both on-screen roles and below-the-line crew positions. The rider is a proactive tool designed to dismantle ingrained hiring biases and create tangible opportunities for underrepresented groups in the film industry.
How It Works
The concept was developed by Dr. Stacy L. Smith at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and was famously brought into the public spotlight by actress Frances McDormand during her 2018 Academy Awards acceptance speech. The ‘rider’ is an addendum to an employment contract, much like a rider that might specify perks like a private trailer or first-class travel.
Instead of perks, a diversity rider typically stipulates that the production must commit to a process of inclusive consideration for available jobs. Key elements often include:
- Defining Diversity: The clause specifies the underrepresented groups it aims to support, which commonly include women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
- Setting Targets: The rider may require that the pool of candidates considered for a role reflects the demographics of the real world. For example, it might stipulate that for every open position, the studio must interview a certain percentage of qualified candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Covering All Departments: The rider is intended to apply broadly, not just to speaking roles. It encourages diverse hiring for crew positions across all departments, from camera and lighting to costume design and post-production.
- Accountability: Some riders may include a mechanism for accountability, such as requiring the production to provide data on its hiring practices or contributing to a fund for diversity programs if the targets are not met.
The Goal: Changing the Pipeline
The primary goal of a diversity rider is not to enforce quotas for hiring, but rather to address the ‘pipeline’ problem. Often, producers and department heads hire from their existing networks, which can perpetuate a lack of diversity. The rider forces the production to widen its search and consider qualified individuals who may have been previously overlooked. By ensuring that the pool of candidates being considered is diverse, the rider increases the probability that the final hiring decisions will be more equitable.
It is a market-driven solution that uses the bargaining power of A-list talent to create systemic change from within the industry, aiming to make film sets and the stories they tell more representative of the society they reflect.