Women Held Just 18% of Behind-the-Camera Roles in 2017, Rate Virtually Unchanged over 20 years

Although there has been an increase of women in the industry, the number has remained stagnant for more than two decades according to a recent "Celluloid Ceiling" study.

Ava DuVernay on the set of “Selma”

                               Image courtesy by Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount

The recent release of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s latest study “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair? Gender, Race & Age of Directors across 1,000 films from 2007-2017″ found that of total of 109 film directors associated with the 100 top movies of 2017, a full 92.7% were male and 7.3% were female. The test revealed the lack of women in the entertainment industry. 

San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film and executive director, Martha M. Lauzen has revealed that there has been a 1% increase of women in the industry working on the top 250 grossing films since 2016 from their latest "Celluloid Ceiling" study. For over 20 years the numbers have remained unchanged despite the small increase. 

“Staggering,” and “she pointed to her research that found only 1% of films last year employed 10 or more women as directors, producers, editors, writers and cinematographers. That compares with 70% of films that had 10 or more men in key roles.” Lauzen said to the Los Angeles Times,“This negligence has produced a toxic culture that supported the recent sexual harassment scandals and truncates so many women’s careers.”

However, the study also found that women working in films has increased 4% since 2016 and shows a "historical comparison of women employment in the top 250 films in 2017." A decline of writers and editors and "women cinematographers has remained the same."

Ready full article here: Indiewire.com