Almost seventy per cent of university drama applicants in 2020 identified as female

A report from the university admissions service has revealed that 68 per cent of undergraduate drama applicants for the 2020 admissions cycle identified as female, a similar gender distribution to that in 2019. 

For last year’s cycle there were 38,090 students of all ages applying to study drama at university through UCAS. Of this number, 26,075 selected ‘female’ on their application, while 12,015 selected ‘male’. 

The gender distribution of accepted applicants for the 2020 cycle is almost identical, with 68 per cent of the 6,470 students identifying as female. 

In the ‘Women in Theatre Forum Report’ led by Sphinx Theatre, University Women in the Arts and December Group published in January 2021, the key findings were that women are under-represented in theatre and are facing challenges which need to be addressed. 

These challenges include sexism, with University Women in the Arts finding that 34 per cent of current or former female arts students had experienced sexism or gender bias at interviews.

Within the report, which brings together research from multiple studies, female theatre worker Natalie was quoted: ‘When I got a job working at a theatre, it was more men than women, hardly any people of colour. It was really hard. If you’re a woman who’s employed and working with a man, there is that shift in power.’

The December group, who found that 64 per cent of artistic directors are men, and 62 per cent of performers are male, was created after writer and director Julia Pascal wrote an article in the Guardian covering why a woman’s presence on the stage is so minimal. 

The reasons included fear of being blacklisted by male directors and structural reasons such as female graduates being educated by institutions to ‘expect lower employment levels than their male peers.’

A second report is due to follow, which will cover industry evidence and recommendations from both reports. 

It is currently not possible to select a non-binary gender option on a UCAS form. A statement on its website reads: ‘UCAS aims to be fully inclusive of the broad range of applicants who use our products and services, and the applicant experience is really important to us.’

‘We recognise that our system currently does not allow applicants to select a non-binary gender option. This is something that we are working to improve, and we have already collaborated with experts and colleagues across the sector to understand how we can implement the changes and create a more inclusive application experience for everyone.’