Boxed In: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes on Broadcast and Streaming Television in 2024-25
Excerpt:
The percentages of women working as creators and directors on U.S. streaming programs rose dramatically in 2024-25, as did the percentage of major female characters appearing on those programs. The number of women creators on streaming programs shot up 9 percentage points from 27% in 2023-24 to 36% in 2024-25, a historic high. In contrast, the percentage of women creators on broadcast programs remained stagnant at 20%. In addition, the percentage of women directors working on streaming programs rose from 23% in 2023-24 to 32% in 2024-25, almost double the number working on broadcast programs (18%). In fact, more women worked on streaming than broadcast programs in all of the behind-the-scenes roles considered, including as writers (34% streaming, 27% broadcast), editors (33% streaming, 17% broadcast), and directors of photography (10% streaming, 3% broadcast). On screen, the percentage of major female characters on streaming programs rose from 44% in 2023-24 to 49% in 2024-25, and from 45% to 47% on broadcast programs. Female characters remained younger than males, regardless of platform or whether female characters were in speaking or major roles. On both streaming and broadcast programs, the majority of female characters were in their 20s and 30s, while the majority of male characters were in their 30s and 40s.