Baby Girl was one of the few top-grossing films of 2024 directed by a woman (Halina Reign). … (+)
AFP (via Getty Images)
Women’s employment in top-grossing films in 2024 remains shockingly low, according to a new report. As of 2024, 70% of top-grossing films had 10 or more men in key behind-the-scenes roles, while only 8% had women involved at the same level.
The report, written by Martha Rosen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, analyzed the top 250 grossing films of 2024. Lauzen has analyzed more than 85,000 films over the past 27 years. Film credits are shown to determine the percentage of women in key positions in the film industry. The main takeaway from this year’s report is that progress for women behind the scenes has stalled.
This data reflects the regression of key behind-the-scenes roles, including directors, screenwriters, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers. In 2021, women reached a peak in their representation, accounting for 25% of behind-the-scenes roles in top-grossing films. But by 2024, this number will drop to 23%. Particularly notable is the decline in the number of female directors. In 2018 and 2022, women directed 18% of the top-grossing films, but by 2024 that number has dropped to just 16%. These numbers demonstrate a discouraging stagnation in women’s progress.
Interestingly, several films from last year featured fictional female directors as characters, a stark testament to the persistent stereotypes women face in this role. Their depictions reveal assumptions about women’s ability to direct and direct on set, often framing women directors as either incompetent or overly vulnerable. “This summer, a sign of how we envision female directors came when so many films, including “The Fall Guy,” “Family Affair,” and “MaXXXine,” portrayed women in the director role. In these stories, a fictional female helmer needs to be saved, and a male actor literally speaks a different language. All of these depictions were perceived as difficult to work with, such as needing help translating instructions or being very fragile with thoughts about future opportunities. , became a Rorschach test for how we view women in leadership positions,” Lausen said in the report. All three films she mentioned were directed by men.
If there’s any good news from this report, it’s evidence that women are helping other women. Projects with at least one female director saw a dramatic increase in female participation across key creative roles compared to projects led solely by men. For films with female directors, 52% of screenwriters were women. This is a staggering jump from just 12% of projects directed by men. A similar trend was seen in newsrooms, where 27% of editors were women, compared to just 17% under male leadership. And when it comes to the notoriously male-dominated field of cinematography, an astonishing 34% of cinematographers on films directed by women are women, compared to just 5% for films directed by men. exceeds.
The study also examined the role of female composers in 2024. Women made up just 9% of the composers for the top 250 films and 7% of the top 100 films, but there were encouraging changes in films directed by women. Women make up 14% of composers, double the 7% of films directed by men.
Having a woman in the director’s chair clearly creates a ripple effect, bringing more women into important roles throughout the filmmaking process. In addition to supporting other women in business, female directors can bring their experiences, perspectives, and storytelling approaches to the world. This year, several notable films were directed by women.
“Some of this year’s most talked-about films, including ‘Substance’ and ‘Baby Girl,’ were directed and written by women, but their directors, Coralie Farguito and Halina Rayne, remain exceptions. Yes, it’s not a rule. Greta Gerwig The incredible success enjoyed by high-profile women in recent years, such as Jane Campion and Chloé Zhao, has not translated into increased visibility for many. It is not creating jobs,” Lauzen said in the report.
