Hollywood is too white and too male. This became clear at the past Oscars. In 2015, the hashtag “OscarsSoWhite” landed in social trends for the first time, drawing attention to the disparity between white filmmakers and people of color.
In her acceptance speech at the 2018 awards, Frances McDormand drew attention to the “Inclusion Rider”. It is a contractual clause intended to ensure more diversity. But what is left of Hollywood’s efforts to finally become more diverse a few years and many public statements later? According to new studies: little.
As USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative now reports, Hollywood will hire fewer people from underrepresented communities in 2022.
The experts in the study examined the 100 highest-grossing Hollywood productions. Of the 111 directors, only nine percent were women. In 2021 it was still 12 percent. The number of non-white filmmakers also fell compared to the previous year. Black women, meanwhile, were the most underrepresented. Only 2.7 percent of the 111 filmmakers were black women directors.
Another study (“Celluloid Ceiling” by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University) focused on the role of women in film. Not only on the director’s chair, but also in other functions on the set, such as camera, editing or technology.
The researchers’ investigations date back to 1998. At that time, women accounted for 17 percent of the total in all fields. Today the researchers come to 24 percent. It’s not a big increase.
“Given the number of panels, research reports and hand-wringing devoted to this topic over the past two and a half decades, one would have expected more substantial progress,” said Dr. Martha Lauzen. “It took more than two decades of lobbying, research reports and an EEOC survey to double the percentage of female directors from 9 percent to 18 percent, and women are still dramatically underrepresented in that role. One can only imagine that it will take just as much effort to increase the number of women in other positions, such as cinematographers and editors.”
Both studies show that a lot still has to change in Hollywood. It will be interesting to see who will be nominated for a director’s Oscar this year. According to Variety, Steven Spielberg and Baz Luhrmann are far ahead in the race.
Quelle: “Variety” / USC Annenberg / Women in TV and Film
