Women’s Media Center study shows continued male dominance in Oscar nominations

Despite recent year’s discussion about lack of diversity in nominations for the Oscar awards, a new study shows continued disbalance with slow improvements. Men have received 78% of non-acting Oscar nominations over the past 17 years and women 22%, according to an analysis by the US-based Women’s Media Center.

The report concludes that there have been modest improvements in female representation from 2007 to 2023 but also that progress has been slow and uneven.

In 2007, 19% of nominees in behind-the-scenes roles were women, and 81% were men. In 2023, 27%  of nominees in the 18 non-acting categories (which include writing, directing, producing, and editing) were women, and 73% were men — an increase for women of 7 percentage points.

People of colour ­— who are 43% of the US population ­— represent only 16% of nominations for the directing and writing categories for the entire time span. Women of colour were just 2% of nominees in these categories. White women were 11% of the nominations; white men were 73%.

“Over 17 years, women have accounted for a total of only 22% of non-acting nominations. At this rate, it will take decades for women to reach parity behind the scenes,” says Julie Burton, WMC President and CEO. 

“Our findings are further indication that while women, who are more than half of the population, are producing extraordinary work, they too often are not nominated for these coveted awards which translate into power and opportunity in Hollywood. There remains a stubborn, persistent inequality with respect to gender and race.”

The report notes that the rise of activism for greater inclusion of and visibility for women and people of colour in the industry, including initiatives such as #OscarsSoWhite and #MeToo, have put public pressure on decision makers in Hollywood. 

This has resulted in upticks in Oscar nominations for women in a few categories where women’s representation had been next to nothing: Directing, Cinematography, Writing, Original Song, and Animated Feature, the report says.

“The mobilization of advocacy groups, organizations, and social movements has been instrumental in boosting the visibility and recognition of women and people of color,” said WMC Co-Founder Gloria Steinem. “Their efforts have been successful in forcing the film industry to change — so we need to keep going.”