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Hollywood’s ‘epidemic of invisibility’: Study finds regression of representation

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Hollywood's 'epidemic of invisibility': Study finds regression of representation

As a long-time cinema enthusiast who has seen the evolution of representation on the big screen, I must say that the 2023 report from USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative leaves me disheartened and frustrated. Despite the groundbreaking success of films like “Barbie,” it appears that we have taken a step backward in the fight for gender equality in Hollywood.

While Barbie ruled the big screen in 2022, the landscape of films in 2023 seemed to take a step back for female representation on-screen.

A recent report published by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and its founder Stacy L. Smith indicates a significant decrease in the number of top-earning movies featuring female leads in 2023 compared to 2022. The study also found that the proportion of male and female characters with dialogue in these popular films has remained relatively consistent since 2007, despite increased focus on diversity in Hollywood over the years.

Hollywood’s contraction over the years from 2007 to 2023, as analyzed by AII’s study of the top-earning films, indicates a potential issue with diversity efforts in the industry. This research scrutinized 1,700 feature films (spanning live action and animation) to evaluate the representation of gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identities, and disability status among on-screen characters. Additionally, the study looked at the demographics of directors, writers, producers, composers, and casting directors involved in these films.

In the latest edition of AII’s report, one significant discovery is a decrease in the proportion of movies with female leads or co-leads, falling from 44% in 2022 to 30% in 2023. Despite this decline, it’s important to note that this number represents an increase compared to 2007, when women only appeared as leads in 20% of the highest-grossing films.

Regardless of how you analyze the statistics, 2023 did not embody the ‘Year of Women,’ Smith asserted in a statement. The patterns for female representation on screen remain consistent from one year to the next. It appears that either women are disregarded as a substantial audience beyond a handful of films each year, or there is reluctance to instigate significant change, or possibly both scenarios are at play.

If the industry aims to persist during this challenging phase, it needs to scrutinize why it’s not providing on-screen opportunities for half the population, she pointed out.

Hollywood's 'epidemic of invisibility': Study finds regression of representation

The research revealed that out of the 100 most popular films in 2023, only 11 were gender-balanced, with approximately equal representation of male and female characters. Additionally, merely five of these top 100 movies from 2023 boasted more female characters than male ones.

In an analysis of 5,084 speaking roles from various films, it was found that just over a third (31.7%) belonged to female characters, while less than 1% represented nonbinary individuals. The remaining majority, approximately 68.2%, were male characters. This is a slight decrease compared to the previous year (2022), where 34.6% of speaking roles went to women. Interestingly, the percentage of female characters has remained essentially unchanged since 2007 when it was 29.9%. As for representation within the LGBTQ+ community, only 1.2% of characters in 2023 identified as such – a figure that hasn’t shown significant improvement since 2014. Regrettably, no transgender characters were represented among these roles.

The figures around the race or ethnicity of those portrayed on screen tell a similar story. While there was an increase in the number of films with protagonists from underrepresented races or ethnicities from 31 in 2022 to 37 in 2023, the report notes that overall progress has been marginal in recent years. Among the specific gains is an increase in the percentage of Asian speaking characters in 2023 (18%) compared with 2007 (3%). This can partly be attributed to the decrease in the percentage of white characters in 2023 (56%) compared with 2007 (78%), since the report notes that there were no other significant changes for any other racial or ethnic group from 2007 to 2023.

Furthermore, just 14% of the highest-grossing movies in 2023 showcased a female character belonging to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, marking a slight decrease compared to 18% representation in 2022.

The research additionally highlighted a significant absence of girls and women from various racial or ethnic backgrounds, such as American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, in the top 100 films of 2023. Similarly, Middle Eastern/North African, Hispanic/Latina, Asian, and Black/African American women were underrepresented or entirely absent in 81, 62, 49, and 39 films respectively.

Smith stated, “For many years, we’ve neglected addressing the widespread issue of marginalization in media. Consequently, tales and representations of girls and women belonging to underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds are consistently overlooked or omitted from the most widely consumed content annually.”

A notable improvement pointed out in the report is the significant increase in representation of characters from diverse backgrounds within the animation industry. In 2023, a substantial 67.9% of all speaking animated characters identified as being from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, marking a rise from 59.2% in 2022 and a dramatic increase from 8.1% back in 2007.

The previous year’s research found that, despite numerous efforts towards advocacy, Hollywood hasn’t achieved significant progress when it comes to representation in its top-performing movies.

As someone who has been advocating for increased diversity and inclusion for many years, I find it disheartening to see that industry decision-makers continue to overlook the solutions proposed by experts like myself. We have spent countless hours researching and developing strategies to help create a more inclusive environment, only to have our efforts seemingly fall on deaf ears. It’s frustrating to put so much time and effort into something that doesn’t seem to be making a difference. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for those who are directly affected by this lack of action. It is my hope that the industry will finally take notice and start implementing these solutions, so that we can create a more equitable and inclusive world for all.

“According to Smith’s statement, the formula for fostering inclusion remains consistent over time. We have been advocating for the strategies proposed in our report for quite some time now, but unless leaders and key decision-makers choose to hear us out and make different choices, we won’t witness any significant changes. Unfortunately, U.S. state legislatures are targeting DEI, while the entertainment industry appears either indifferent or scared to employ the resources at their disposal to portray a more accurate reflection of society instead of a distorted representation.”

The full report is available on the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative website.

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2024-08-05 16:31

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