The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) Hollywood Writers Report

Deadline today featured a release from the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) - a report on the earning levels of disparate groups of Hollywood television and film writers. The study, which you can download here, analyzes the earnings, ages, genders, and races of writers over a span of five years (2005-2009). I won't bother you with my own in-depth analysis, but it's worth checking out. As with many statistics (such as, most likely to be serial killers) white men came out on top. 

Supposedly, the earning gap between genders shrunk, but women remain statistically paid less then men according to the study. Similarly disheartening is the fact that the work share done by minority writers fell compared to years past. I work in New York Theatre as my day-job, and that industry, too, is trying to grapple with the limited and historically lower number of opportunities for and work by both female and minority writers. It is prevalent across the board -film, television, and the stage - and studies like this can be valuable in drawing attention to the issue. 

A longer version of the study's findings is apparently available, but I have not read it.