After four years of making a movie – following pioneering women & girls and gathering the facts – I am excited for the influence Pioneers in Skirts is now having. Today, organizations are using the film as a catalyst for meaningful conversations about changing the outcome for women all over the world!
Pioneers in Skirts is a multi-award-winning documentary film about the obstacles that get in the way of pioneering ambition. Released during the pandemic in August 2020, my daughter, Ashley Maria, and I made this movie to help fast-track much-needed change in our culture.
As we researched for the film, we found study…after study…after study that revealed women start out in their careers with more ambition than men, but as soon as 2 years out of college women’s confidence and ambition plummets by over 60%. These declines came independent of marriage or motherhood status. And this phenomenon affects women across professions.
This information, along with Ashley’s personal experiences when entering her career in the film industry, caused us to examine WHY pioneering women often are overwhelmed with dashed expectations.
The film tells a personal story for HOW to address the stereotyping and sexism that can chip away at a woman, hurt her potential, and make her feel like she must re-think her dreams.
We’re excited that Pioneers in Skirts is playing a role in achieving a world where ambitious women can pursue their careers without having to combat unfair obstacles in their lives — and where we ALL can thrive in diverse and inclusive work cultures.
A global movie screening program
We’ve all seen the horrific inequalities exposed during the pandemic. It caused us to want to do something to help. We wanted to do something bold…something empowering. Ashley and I launched the Pioneers in Skirts Global Impact Movie Relay program; offering qualified organizations the ability to host a screening of Pioneers in Skirts — for FREE.
With the Impact Movie Relay our aim is for advocacy and nonprofit groups to use the power of film to convince their communities to put women & girls at the heart of pandemic recovery efforts.
I ask my BPW International sisters to help our movie play a meaningful role in building an equitable world for all. Please host a screening of your own. Or join forces with another group to host a powerful event!
APPLY here for a FREE relay screening, or – if you’d like to screen the movie as part of a BPW event, BOOK a discounted BPW screening by using the 30% discount code BPW30.
With subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Russian, Arabic, and English, you can help make Pioneers in Skirts part of a program focused on elevating women & girls and addressing gender equality issues.
Let’s be the change, together. Let us ALL #BEaPioneer!
About: This mother-daughter team are both members of BPW International. You can learn more about producer Lea-Ann W. Berst and director Ashley Maria by clicking here. You can contact Lea-Ann directly at pioneersinskirts@gmail.com.
Lea-Ann W. Berst
Producer, Pioneers in Skirts
NFBPWC member
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