Making ends meet by earning the minimum wage (1,050 euros) has become challenging, especially after the rise in prices. Imagine how difficult it is to meet basic needs if your salary is 12,000 Euros gross per year. This is the scenario a person faces every day. 77% of actors and actresses in our countryAccording to the socio-labour Survey presented this Thursday by the AISGE Foundation. The data is not encouraging for the sector. In fact, if we compare these with the last report prepared in 2016; The rate of those who earn their living from their profession was 8.17 percent. This year, the rate of those earning more than 30 thousand euros per year decreased by 1.17 percentage points.
Devastating figures for those to whom the doors of cinema, TV series or theaters are open and available. It is very difficult to devote yourself solely to this profession.. Almost half of the respondents, 48%, earn less than 3,000 euros per year (68% in 2016), and only 23% of those exceeding the bar of 1,000 euros gross per month (17% in 2016). However, this significant increase is “a real decline in purchasing power”: Seven years ago, 12,000 euros was equivalent to 9,926 euros today due to the constant increase in prices. According to AISGE president Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, the aim is not to raise alarm, but to bring the reality of the sector closer to society: “There is still a long way to go, it remains extraordinarily difficult to make a living from art in Spain.”
So much so that 44% of survey respondents are below the threshold poverty: Their income is the country’s average income and is at 20.4% in 2022. Therefore, 52 percent of artists say that they have to resort to a second source of income; This rate also increases compared to the previous 46 percent. Now the most striking fact is that three quarters never return to acting.
There is no room for women
If we talk about differences between genders, women are the ones most affected by this. Because their economic data is worse than male actors and dancers They get paid 40.3% more for their work. The women’s sector is at the extreme end of insecurity, as 29% of respondents earn less than 600 euros a year, compared to 21% for men. Therefore, women have to apply for a second job, this rate is 54% compared to 49% for men. The reasons leading to this difference are not clear, but AISGE considers the hypothesis of a lesser role for them. gender obligations (birth, care of children or dependents).
They also work fewer days throughout the year, an average of 62 days compared to their own 70 days. Women are the majority in the group that did not manage to work any day in 2021, this rate is 17% (12% in 2020). male gender) and that they did not exceed two weeks of work (27% vs. 22%). Abel Martín Villajero, general manager of the report, describes this fact as one of the most distressing data of the study: “There’s a big pay gap, a fact we don’t like but it is what it is. “There is no different remuneration, but the fact that they work less hours and therefore receive less money is effective.”
The study of sexual harassment, which has come to the fore recently due to complaints against directors Carlos Vermut and Armando Ravelo, reflects that this is not an isolated reality. This is the first time this issue is being talked about, but in a very timid way and with the fear of being revealed to the public. There is also more agreement on diagnosis among men. On the subject, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba noted the categorical rejection of AISGE and the support provided to victims: “Do not let anyone exploit you economically or sexually. We must report, dignity is above. “If there is someone attacking you, we are here,” he said.
artificial intelligence threat
Another issue that arises is fear of progress Artificial intelligence and how this impacts artistic work and the entire audiovisual business model. 84% of respondents see this as a threat. It was observed that the working resources of voice actors were affected and their working conditions deteriorated significantly. Those in the image are also starting to perceive the arrival of artificial intelligence, albeit to a lesser extent. In the field of dance and theater, the effect is slower.
The foundation points out that the key is to find the middle ground, as Martín Villajero puts it: “We must find solutions so that Culture and technology coexist at their best”. The importance of protecting intellectual property rights through the implementation of collective management systems for these rights was also emphasized.
Most representative study
The report, the fourth of these features the organization has encountered, refreshes the information provided by the previous three features that the Foundation’s Charity Zone introduced in 2004, 2011 and 2016, with a study added in the summer of 2020 to measure impact. The effects of the first wave of Covid-19 were seen in the artist collectives in AISGE.
The information sources used are an internet search. 3,410 people participated (39% of people associated with this organization), six discussion groups in various cities across the country, featuring artists from different professional sectors and age groups. In addition, various documents and analyzes compiled from AISGE regarding collection, distribution and the status of the sector were used.