Movie
Two new studies show that despite recent successes like Barbie, female filmmakers are still underrepresented
Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” may have been the highest-grossing film of 2023, but women behind the camera are still dramatically underrepresented in Hollywood, according to two major industry studies.
Barbie, Beatles and Bankman-Fried: How well do you remember 2023? – Quiz
At the same time, major studios that pledged to rethink their diversity and inclusion practices in the wake of 2020's Black Lives Matter protests are still failing to produce many films by people of color, according to USC's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The center's most recent report, “Inclusion in the Director's Chair,” called the entertainment industry's promises to promote inclusion “performative acts” and “not real steps to promote change.”
It's the second report in as many days to find that despite the outsized success of films directed by women in 2023, such as Barbie and Elizabeth Banks' “Cocaine Bear,” studios are still not treating women equally Offer opportunities behind the camera like their male colleagues. A study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University found that women made up just 16% of directors of the 250 top-grossing films in 2023, up from 18% in 2022.
The USC report found that out of a total of 116 directors involved in the top 100 top-grossing domestic films in 2023, only 14, or 12.1%, were women. That's an improvement compared to the 9% of top-grossing films made by women in 2022, but the report argues that the share of female filmmakers on top films has increased since 2018, as 4.5% of Directors were women, it didn't improve much. Only 6% of the top-grossing feature films between 2007 and 2023 were directed by women, the center found.
“Over more than a decade and a half, the proportion of women in leadership positions has not even increased by 10 percentage points,” said Dr. Stacy L. Smith, author of the USC report and founder of the Inclusion Initiative, in a statement. “These numbers are not just data points on a graph. They represent real, talented women who want to pursue sustainable careers in an industry that won’t hire them for jobs they’re qualified for based solely on who they are.”
The findings come as women produced some of the hottest films of the year, such as Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, Celine Song's Past Lives and Sofia Coppola's Priscilla. Pop stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé dominated the box office with films of their lucrative concerts.
But this critical and commercial success did not lead to significant changes later. According to the San Diego State Report, a total of 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers who worked on the 250 highest-grossing films were women, up from 24% in 2022. And 75% of the top-grossing films employed ten or more men in key off-camera roles, while only 4% employed ten or more women.
“It’s the ultimate illusion. “Greta Gerwig’s well-deserved triumph belies the inequality that exists in the mainstream film industry,” said Dr. Martha Lauzen, the author of the report. “The numbers tell the story. Behind the scenes, the gender balance in Hollywood remains dramatically skewed in favor of men.”
The USC report also found no significant improvement in racial and ethnic diversity behind the camera. The number of directors from underrepresented groups for the top 100 top-grossing films of 2023 — 26, or 22.4% — has been essentially stagnant since 2022, when it was 20.7%. Only four directors (3.4%) of the top 100 films of 2023 were women of color – Song, Adele Lim (Joy Ride), Fawn Veerasunthorn (Wish) and Nia DaCosta (The Marvels). This number was 1.4% in the 17-year sample.
“This report provides a contrast to those who might celebrate the beginning of change in Hollywood after a year in which Barbie topped the box office,” the USC study authors concluded. “One film or one director is simply not enough to bring about the fundamental change that is still needed behind the camera. Unless studios, executives and producers change their decisions about who is qualified and available to direct top-grossing films, there is little reason to believe that optimism is warranted.”
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}
One-time, monthly, yearly
Other
{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.