Boxed In: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes on Broadcast and Streaming Television in 2025-26
Excerpt:
In 2025-26, the percentages of women working as creators and directors on original U.S. programs on streaming services plummeted, indicating that last year’s increases were a momentary surge as opposed to the beginning of a positive trend in employment. The percentage of women creating streaming series bounced from 27% in 2023-24 up to 36% in 2024-25 and down to 24% in 2025-26. The percentage of women creating broadcast programs declined slightly from 20% in 2024-25 to 19% in 2025-26. The numbers of women creating shows on both platforms are now lower than they were almost a decade ago in 2017-18. The percentage of women directing streaming programs rose from 23% in 2023-24 to 32% in 2024-25, falling to 22% in 2025-26. The numbers of women directing broadcast programs contracted but not as severely from 18% in 2024-25 to 16% in 2025-26. On screen, the numbers of female characters in major roles also declined in 2025-26. On streaming programs, female characters comprised 44% of major characters, down from 49% in 2024-25. On broadcast programs, females in major roles declined slightly from 47% in 2024-25 to 46% in 2025-26.