It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2023

It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2023

EXCERPT

It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World has monitored portrayals of girls and women in the top 100 grossing films since 2002.  It is the longest-running and most comprehensive study of women’s representation in film available.  The percentage of females in speaking roles declined from 37% in 2022 to 35% in 2023, and the number of female characters in major roles remained the same at 38%.  The percentage of films with female protagonists contracted from 33% in 2022 to 28% in 2023.  77% of films featured more male than female characters in speaking roles. Only 18% of films had more female than male characters, and 5% of films featured equal numbers of female and male characters.  Female characters were younger than their male counterparts, experiencing a precipitous drop from their 30s to their 40s.  33% of female characters were in their 30s but only 15% were in their 40s.  The percentage of male characters in their 30s and 40s remained steady at 28%, and men didn’t experience a decline until they reached their 50s.  Females over 60 remained dramatically underrepresented, accounting for just 7% of all female characters.  Films with at least one woman director and/or writer were more likely than films with no women in these roles to feature higher percentages of females as protagonists, in major roles, and as speaking characters.

The Celluloid Ceiling: Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2023

The Celluloid Ceiling: Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2023

Excerpt:

The Celluloid Ceiling has tracked women’s employment on the 250 top (domestic) grossing films for the last 26 years and provides the most comprehensive historical record of women’s employment in behind-the-scenes roles available.  Overall, women accounted for 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the 250 top grossing films.  This represents a decline of 2 percentage points from 24% in 2022.  Taking the long view, it represents an increase of just 5 percentage points since 1998. By role, women made up 16% of directors, 17% of writers, 26% of producers, 24% of executive producers, 21% of editors, and 7% of cinematographers working on the 250 top grossing films.  Films with at least one woman director employed substantially more women in other key behind-the-scenes roles than films with exclusively male directors.  The report also includes the percentages of women working on the 100 top grossing films.

Boxed In: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes on Broadcast and Streaming Television in 2022-23

Boxed In: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes on Broadcast and Streaming Television in 2022-23

Excerpt:

In 2022-23, females fared better as characters and contestants on reality programs and game shows (50%) than as characters on scripted programs (43%).  While the employment of women in behind-the-scenes roles was the same on both scripted and unscripted programs (32%), women fared better as directors on scripted (22%) than unscripted programs (11%).  However, the percentage of women working as producers was higher on unscripted (47%) than scripted programs (41%).  Overall, the findings indicate that 2022-23 was not a stellar year for women on screen or behind the scenes.  Females accounted for 45% of all speaking characters on original streaming programs and 44% on broadcast network programs.  Both of these percentages represent a retreat from slightly higher numbers in 2021-22.  The percentage of women working in behind-the-scenes roles also declined from 37% in 2021-22 to 34% in 2022-23 on original streaming programs, and from 31% in 2021-22 to 29% in 2022-23 on broadcast network programs.  

Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2022-23

Indie Women: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in U.S. Independent Film, 2022-23

EXCERPT

This year’s Indie Women study tracked the employment of behind-the-scenes women working on independently and domestically produced feature-length documentaries and narrative films screening and/or streaming at 20 high-profile film festivals in the U.S.  While the fests continue to stream and/or screen more narrative features directed exclusively by men than those with at least one woman director, the margin is narrowing.  In 2022-23, the festivals streamed/screened an average of 10 films by male directors and 7 by female directors.  In 2021-22, the radio was 10 to 6.  In 2022-23, the gender gap disappeared entirely for documentary features, with festivals streaming/screening equal numbers of films directed by men and women.  In terms of employment, men continue to comprise the majority of those working as directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers (men 61%, women 39%) on independently produced narrative films and documentaries.  While the percentages of women working as producers, editors, and cinematographers remained stable in 2022-23, the percentage of women working as directors increased from 40% in 2021-22 to 42% in 2022-23.  The percentage of women writers rose from 35% in 2021-22 to 40% in 2022-23.  These are recent historic highs.