• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
MPW

TV still has a massive gender gap—both on screen and behind the camera

By
Marin Gazzaniga
Marin Gazzaniga
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Marin Gazzaniga
Marin Gazzaniga
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 15, 2015, 1:23 PM ET
30 Rock
30 ROCK -- "Audition Day" Episode 404 -- Pictured: Tina Fey as Liz Lemon (Photo by Ali Goldstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)Photograph by Ali Goldstein — NBC via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A new report shows that women’s progress toward achieving parity in TV—both on screen and behind the camera—has stalled.

“Boxed In,” an annual report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, has tracked women’s representation in prime-time television for the past 18 years. The latest numbers for 2014-2015 indicate that women made up just 27% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network shows.

Broaden that to include cable and other sources and the number gets even grimmer: women accounted for 25% of those working on network, cable, and Netflix shows. This represents no change from last year—and an increase of just 6% from the first study in 1997-1998.

Women’s representation in front of the camera is a bit better. The report, which looked at sampling of network, basic and pay cable (A&E, AMC, FX, History, TNT, USA, HBO and Showtime) and Netflix shows, found that 42% of all speaking roles and 42% of major characters were female.

Hollywood’s ageism double standard is also evident in the results. Most female characters are in their 20s and 30s (60%) whereas most male characters are in their 30s and 40s (55%). And opportunities plummet for older actresses (not to mention older audience members looking to see themselves reflected onscreen). Thirty-one percent of female characters were in their 30s, 18% were in their 40s, and just 2% were in their 60s or older.

Minorities have an even greater challenge: 77% of female characters were white, 15% were African-American, 3% were Latina, 4% were Asian, and 1% were of “some other” race or ethnicity.

The good news is that when women do have key creative roles, they are more likely to create more opportunities for women. On network shows with at least one female creator, women comprised 50% of writers—whereas women made up 15% of writers on shows with no female creators. On programs with at least one female executive producer, an average 43% of major characters were female. Compare that to shows no female executive producers, where an average 37% of characters were female.

Since HBO’s Project Greenlight premiere on Sunday, Matt Damon has been getting flack for interrupting Effie Brown, the one African-American female producer on the show, to say that selecting a diverse directing team isn’t the solution to getting better representation of women and minorities on screen. But this report suggests otherwise.

Says Dr. Martha Lauzen, author of the study, “The findings suggest that creators and executive producers play an instrumental role in shifting the gender dynamics for both on-screen characters and other individuals working in powerful behind-the-scenes roles.”

Subscribe to The Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

About the Author
By Marin Gazzaniga
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in MPW

jd
PoliticsWhite House
JD Vance becomes first sitting vice president to welcome a child in office in over 150 years
By Darlene Superville and The Associated PressJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Backed by Daymond John and Post Malone, this Afghan-born founder built a $150M brand. Her real mission: the women back home
Successfemale founders
Backed by Daymond John and Post Malone, this Afghan-born founder built a $150M brand. Her real mission: the women back home
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
t
PoliticsWhite House
Analysis: Trump approves 80% of GOP disaster aid — and 60% for Democrats
By David A. Lieb, M.K. Wildeman and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
5 days ago
ruemmler
PoliticsCongress
House Epstein probe calls ‘Uncle Jeffrey’ email author Kathryn Ruemmler, former Obama White House counsel and Goldman Sachs banker
By Joey Cappelletti and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
6 days ago
‘Close to as good as it gets’: Jamie Dimon just offered another warning on bubbly markets as Wall Street had a monster quarter
BankingJPMorgan Chase
‘Close to as good as it gets’: Jamie Dimon just offered another warning on bubbly markets as Wall Street had a monster quarter
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 14, 2026
7 days ago
e
Arts & EntertainmentSocial Media
American influencers turn Erling Haaland into the World Cup’s breakout brand
By Kaitlyn Huamani and The Associated PressJuly 13, 2026
8 days ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
The Treasury is walking a tightrope on U.S. debt by relying so much on short-term rates that are at the mercy of a suddenly very hawkish Fed
Economy
The Treasury is walking a tightrope on U.S. debt by relying so much on short-term rates that are at the mercy of a suddenly very hawkish Fed
By Jason MaJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
Economy
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
By Eleanor PringleJuly 21, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.