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2020

Employed television writers:

Women were 45.3% of TV series writers and 35.2% of development/pilot writers.
BIPOC folks were 37% of TV series writers and 23.3% of development/pilot writers.
BIPOC women made up 21.4% of TV series writers and 9.9% of development/pilot writers. BIPOC men made up 15.3% and 13.2%, respectively.
White women comprised 25.9% of TV series writers and 25.9% of development/pilot writers.
Of TV series writers, 15.5% were Black, <1% were Native American/Indigenous, 5.9% were Latinx, 6.4% were Asian/South Asian/Pacific Islander, <1% were Middle Eastern, and 8% were multi-ethnic/racial.
Of development/pilot writers, 9.7% were Black, <1% were Native American/Indigenous, 3.2% were Latinx, 5.9% were Asian/South Asian/Pacific Islander, <1% were Middle Eastern, and 3.8% were multi-ethnic/racial.
LGBTQ+ folks accounted for 11.6% of TV series writers and 6.4% of development/pilot writers.
Writers with disabilities represented 1.7% of TV series writers and 1% of development/pilot writers.
Writers aged 55 or over comprised 15.2% of TV series writers and 20.4% of development/pilot writers.
Women made up 63.1% of staff writers, 60.4% of story editors, 60.1% of executive story editors, 46.5% of co-producers, 57.5% of producers, 43.6% of supervising producers, 44.5% of co-executive producers, and 27.6% of executive producers or showrunners.
BIPOC folks comprised 55.6% of staff writers, 61% of story editors, 52.6% of executive story editors, 53.1% of co-producers, 45% of producers, 46.2% of supervising producers, 27.3% of co-executive producers, and 17.9% of executive producers or showrunners.
BIPOC women were 36.6% of staff writers, 39.3% of story editors, 35.7% of executive story editors, 26.8% of co-producers, 28% producers, 24.3% of supervising producers, 16.3% of consulting producers, 15.1% of co-executive producers, 7.4% of executive producers, and 6.9% of showrunners.
White women represented 28.3% of staff writers, 21.4% of story editors, 27.9% of executive story editors, 21.8% of co-producers, 29% of producers, 20.4% of supervising producers, 31.3% of consulting producers, 31.3% of co-executive producers, 18.8% of executive producers, and 23.6% of showrunners.
BIPOC men accounted for 17.7% of staff writers, 21.4% of story editors, 16.3% of executive story editors, 26.1% of co-producers, 17% of producers, 21.4% of supervising producers, 17.5% of consulting producers, 11.9% of co-executive producers, 10% of executive producers, and 11.8% of showrunners.

WGA West

Of the TV writers employed 2010-2020:

Women writers grew from 29.3% of TV writers employed to 45.3%.
BIPOC writers have increased from 13.6% of TV writers employed to 37%.

WGA West

2019-2020 SEASON

Women on TV

42% of streaming programs had clearly identifiable sole female protagonists, 27% of cable programs had female protagonists, and 24% of broadcast programs featured female protagonists.
42% of programs on streaming services had female protagonists, 42% featured male protagonists, and 16% had ensembles.
Across platforms, 43% of characters in speaking roles were female. Females comprised 42% of speaking characters on broadcast programs, 44% of characters on cable programs, and 43% of characters on streaming programs.
Females comprised 45% of major characters on broadcast, cable and streaming programs. Females accounted for 44% of major characters on broadcast programs, 45% on cable programs, and 45% on streaming programs.
Across platforms, 29% of all programs featured clearly identifiable sole female protagonists, 37% had male protagonists, and 33% feature ensembles.
66% of female characters were White, 20% were Black, 8% were Asian, 5% were Latina, and 1% were of some other race of ethnicity.
66% of major female characters were White, 20% were Black, 8% were Asian, and 6% were Latina.
The majority of female characters were in their 20s and 30s (58%), whereas the majority of male characters were in their 30s and 40s (53%).
Across platforms, 75% of male characters but 65% of females had identifiable occupations. Further, 57% of males but 47% of females were seen in their work environment, actually working.
Across platforms, female characters were more likely than males to play personal life-oriented roles, such as wife and mother. In contrast, male characters were more likely than females to play work-oriented roles, such as business executive. For example, 52% of female characters but 38% of males were seen playing personal-life roles. 56% of males but 42% of females played work oriented roles.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

LGBTQ Characters on TV

LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast television reached a record high of 10.2%. That’s 90 out of 879 series regulars on broadcast scripted primetime TV.
LGBTQ women in series regular/recurring roles on broadcast TV outnumbered LGBTQ men, 53% to 47%.
52% of the 120 LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on broadcast networks were people of color. 48% of the 215 LGBTQ characters on cable TV were people of color, as were 41% of the 153 LGBTQ characters on streaming networks.
Between Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, there were 109 regular LGBTQ characters on scripted originals and 44 recurring LGBTQ characters.
Netflix had the highest number of LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on scripted originals. The CW was the most LGBTQ-inclusive broadcast network, with 15.4% of series regulars identifying as LGBTQ, while Showtime was the most inclusive on cable.

GLAAD/Variety

Women Behind the Scenes

Looking at the percentage of women and underrepresented episodic directors from 2012-13 to 2019-20, 22.3% of episodes were directed by women and 22.4% by people of color.
Overall, 5.2% of episodes had a woman of color in a directing role.

Inclusion Initiative

Overall, women accounted for 31% of individuals working in key behind-the-scenes positions.
Women comprised 30% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography on broadcast programs, 31% on cable programs, and 35% on streaming programs.
63% of programs employed 5 or fewer women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. 16% of programs employed 5 or fewer men.
Overall, women fared best as producers (39%), followed by writers (36%), executive producers (32%), directors (30%), creators (28%), editors (17%), and directors of photography (8%).
94% of the programs considered had no women directors of photography, 81% had no women editors, 76% had no women directors, and 73% had no women creators.
Women accounted for 28% of creators. This represents a historic high.
Programs with at least 1 woman creator employed substantially greater percentages of women in other key behind-the-scenes roles and featured more female characters than programs with exclusively male creators. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman creator, women accounted for 69% of writers versus 20% on programs with no women creators.
Programs with at least 1 woman executive producer featured more female protagonists, and more women in other key behind-the-scenes positions, than programs with exclusively male executive producers. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman executive producer, women accounted for 39% of writers. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, women comprised 12% of writers.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Of the more than 4,300 episodes produced in the 2019-20 season, the portion helmed by directors of color grew to 32%. Episodes directed by women grew to 34%.
18% of episodes were directed by African Americans. 7% of episodes were directed by Latinos. 6% of episodes were directed by Asian Americans. 67% of episodes were directed by Caucasians.
Of the 1,268 individual directors hired to work, 35% were women, 65% were men, 11% were African American, 7% were Latino, 6% were Asian American, and 72% were Caucasian.
In the 2019-20 season, employers hired 227 directors who had never directed episodic television. The percentage of these first breaks going to directors of color grew to 30%, while the portion going to women was 47%.
African American males directed 12.5% of episodes. African American females 5.2%, Asian American males 4.3%, Asian American females 2.1%, Caucasian males 43.3%, Caucasian females 23.4%, Latino males 4.8%, and Latino females 2.4%.

DGA

Women in TV

Constituting slightly more than half of the population, women remained underrepresented on every front but among digital scripted leads:

Less than 2 to 1 among broadcast scripted leads (37.5 percent)
Nearly proportionate representation among cable scripted leads (45.3 percent)
Proportionate representation among digital scripted leads (50.2 percent)
Greater than 2 to 1 among broadcast scripted show creators (24.1 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among cable scripted show creators (29.0 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among digital scripted show creators (29.2 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among broadcast episodes directed (30.6 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among cable episodes directed (31.3 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among digital episodes directed (33.4 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited broadcast writers (41.1 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited cable writers (42.8 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited digital writers (42.0 percent)

UCLA

People of Color in TV

Though people of color were approaching proportionate representation among cable and digital scripted leads, they remained underrepresented on every industry employment front:

Nearly 2 to 1 among broadcast scripted leads (23.2 percent)
Approaching proportionate representation among cable scripted leads (33.6 percent)
Approaching proportionate representation among digital scripted leads (31.0 percent)
Greater than 4 to 1 among broadcast scripted show creators (9.8 percent)
2 to 1 among cable scripted show creators (20.6 percent)
Less than 3 to 1 among digital scripted show creators (14.7 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among broadcast episodes directed (25.8 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among cable episodes directed (27.2 percent)
2 to 1 among digital episodes directed (21.7 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited broadcast writers (26.4 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited cable writers (28.6 percent)
Less than 2 to 1 among credited digital writers (24.2 percent)

UCLA

2019

Of the 50 most-watched children’s shows:

Black girls and women are 6.5% of the US population, 6.2% of all characters, and 6.4% of leading characters.
Black girls and women are more likely to be shown as attractive (48.5%) compared to other women of color (44.6%) or white women (41.6%).
Black women are more likely to be shown in a STEM occupation (5.6%) than other women of color (3.0%) or white women (3.3%).
More Black female characters are shown as leaders than other women of color or white women (40.9% compared with 36.0% and 34.6%, respectively).
Black female characters are far more likely to be shown as “smart” than other female characters of color and white female characters (32.7% compared to 22.2% and 26.4%, respectively).
Black female characters and other female characters of color are twice as likely as white female characters to be shown with a degree of nudity (5.2% and 4.9% compared with 2.5%).
Compared to white female characters, Black female characters and other female characters of color are twice as likely to be shown in revealing clothing (10.7% and 8.7% compared with 4.5%).
Black female characters are more likely than white female characters and other female characters of color to be verbally objectified by other characters in family TV (1.4% compared with 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively).
White female characters are more likely to have an occupation (89.6%) than Black female characters (70.5%) or other female characters of color (58.8%).
Black female characters are twice as likely as white female characters and other female characters of color to be shown in a service industry job (56.3% compared to 26.4% and 20.6%, respectively).
Black women (5.6%) are less likely than white women (8.7%) and other women of color (11.0%) to be shown in a romantic relationship, but more likely to be shown as having at least one sexual partner.

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Employed television writers:

43.5% were women; 35.3% were BIPOC.
26.7% were white women; 19.1% were BIPOC women; 15.9% were BIPOC men.
White women represented 27.6% of staff writers, 27.1% of story editors, 23.5% of executive story editors, 23.6% of co-producers, 27.2% of producers, 30.3% of supervising producers, 23.1% of consulting producers, 30.2% of co-executive producers, 20% of executive producers, and 25.1% showrunners.
BIPOC women accounted for 30.4% of staff writers, 35.6% of story editors, 31.3% of executive story editors, 24.7% of co-producers, 29.6% of producers, 26.3% of supervising producers, 11.5% of consulting producers, 17.1% of co-executive producers, 7.7% of executive producers, and 8.2% of showrunners.
BIPOC men comprised 17.5% of staff writers, 17.8% of story editors, 31.3% of executive story editors, 22.5% of co-producers, 21% of producers, 18.2% of supervising producers, 16.7% of consulting producers, 16.7% of co-executive producers, 11.6% of executive producers, and 10.3% of showrunners.

WGA West

2018-2019

Of the most popular 200 scripted shows in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand:

Of the 8,885 speaking or named characters, only 98 or 1.1% were Muslim. This translates into 89.7 non Muslim characters to every 1 Muslim character. Yet there are 1.9 billion Muslims accounting for 24.9% of the total worldwide population.
Three shows in 2018 accounted for the largest number of Muslims per series: “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” (33 characters), “Next of Kin” (19 characters), and “Our Girl” (9 characters). After removing these shows, 2018 (26 Muslims coded) series still had numerically more than twice as many Muslim speaking characters than did 2019 (11 Muslims) series.
13% (n=26) of shows depicted one or more Muslims across the first three episodes evaluated. This variable deviated marginally by year, as 17% of shows featured at least one Muslim character in 2018 and 9% in 2019.
87% (n=174) of series erased Muslim speaking characters altogether. Of the remaining shows, the mode or most frequent number of Muslim characters in a series was 1 (8% or 16 programs). One percent of shows (n=2) had 2 Muslim characters, 2% (n=4) had 3 Muslim characters, and 2% (n=4) had 4 or more.
Of the 98 Muslim characters, only 12 were series regulars. Half of the Muslim series regulars were in the U.S. sample of shows and only 2 series regulars appeared in the 2019 sample (Wendell Pierce, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” Ali Karim, “Shortland Street”).
60.2% (n=59) of Muslim speaking characters on screen were inconsequential. Fifty-two (59.8%) of the 87 Muslim speaking characters were inconsequential to the plot in 2018 and 7 (63.6%) of 11 were in 2019. By country, U.S. shows were far more likely than international shows to feature inconsequential Muslim speaking characters on screen (71.7%, 42.1%, respectively). The ratio of inconsequential Muslim characters is 4.92 to every 1 series regular.
Of the 98 Muslim speaking characters, 69.4% were male (n=68) and 30.6% (n=30) were female. This pattern deviated substantially from the overall sample where 41.7% of non Muslim speaking characters were girls and women.
No Muslim speaking characters were coded as non binary. 180 series erased or did not feature at least one male Muslim speaking character and 184 erased or did not feature at least one female Muslim speaking character.
Muslim speaking characters were most likely to be Middle Eastern/North African (52%, n=51), followed by Asian (28.6%, n=28) and Black (13.3%, n=13). Few Muslim speaking characters in the sample were White (2%, n=2), Hispanic (1%, n=1), or multi-racial/multi-ethnic (3.1%, n=3). While the majority of Muslim speaking characters were MENA, only 37.5% (n=51) of all MENA characters sample wide (n=136) were Muslim.
U.S. series were more likely to showcase MENA Muslims and international series were more likely to showcase Asian and Black Muslims.
Of the 98 Muslim characters, 0 were young children (0-5 years), 13.4% (n=13) were children (6-12 years), 10.3% (n=10) were teens, 48.5% (n=47) were young adults, 25.8% (n=25) were middle aged and 2.1% (n=2) were elderly. There were no Muslim children 0-5 years of age across the entire sample. Only 2 elderly speaking characters were coded as Muslim and none appeared in the U.S. sample or across 100 popular shows in 2019.
Across the 98 Muslim speaking characters, only one was part of the LGBTQ community. That character was a 21-to-39-year-old Asian lesbian who played a supporting role in the U.K. series “Next of Kin.” No gay, bisexual, or transgender Muslims were depicted. Not one Muslim speaking character was shown with a significant and persistent cognitive, communicative, and/or physical impediment.
Of the 98 Muslim characters, 45.9% (n=45) lived in Muslim-dominated countries or areas. The remaining 54.1% (n=53) of Muslim characters lived in countries that were not Muslim-dominated (e.g., U.S., U.K., India, France, New Zealand). Only 13.3% (n=13) of all Muslim characters were native to non-Muslim dominated countries, while 2 were immigrants.
Less than one-third (31.6%, n=31) of Muslim characters spoke English as their native language, compared to 63.3% (n=62) who were native speakers of another language, and 5.1% (n=5) whose portrayal was too brief to be evaluated for this measure. Of the 62 non-native English speakers, 51.6% (n=32) spoke accented English while the remaining 48.4% (n=30) of characters spoke only in non-English languages, such as Arabic, French, Urdu, and Hausa.
51 characters (60%) were shown with an occupation. Male Muslim characters (78.4%, n=40) were more likely than female Muslim characters (21.6%, n=11) to be employed. The highest percentage of Muslim characters (37.2%, n=19) were involved with criminal activities while 15.7% (n=8) of Muslim characters worked in law enforcement. Other Muslim characters held occupations outside of the justice system. Roughly one-fifth (19.6%, n=10) of Muslim characters were shown with careers in healthcare, while the remaining characters held jobs in religious domains (7.8%, n=4), in travel and logistics jobs (7.8%, n=4), financial services (3.9%, n=2), politics (2%, n=1), media (2%, n=1), personal care (2%, n=1), and retail (2%, n=1).
30.6% (n=30) of characters perpetrated violent actions against another character. These individuals primarily used firearms (43.3%, n=13), though characters were also shown with bombs or vests with explosive devices (36.7%, n=11) and using natural means (e.g., punching, kicking; 26.7%, n=8) to attack and physically harm others. The majority of the Muslim perpetrators of violence were in roles that defined them as antagonists to the plot (76.7%, n=23).
Nearly 40% of Muslims were also targets of violence (38.8%, n=38). More than half of these victims (52.6%, n=20) were the story’s antagonists or affiliated with villains. 12.2% (n=12) of all Muslim characters died during the first three episodes evaluated. All died by violent means.
Nearly half of Muslim characters (49%, n=48) made some form of verbal reference that was indicative of their faith while 23.5% of characters (n=23) were identified as Muslim through non-verbal depictions. Expressions of Islam were also shown through tangible artifacts and clothing. Only 11 characters (11.2%, 5 secondary and 6 tertiary characters) were presented with artifacts affiliated with their Muslim identity. More than half of Muslim characters (52%, n=51) were shown wearing attire related to or affiliated with Islam. Twenty-two of the Muslim women in popular series distinctly wore hijabs, including in non-Muslim dominated settings. Men’s attire was more diverse, including kurtas, topis, ghutras, and thobes.
A consistent theme across the way Muslim girls and women are characterized: they experience fear and peril, typically at the hands of men. Muslim women experienced both emotional distress as well as physical danger. Muslim girls and women were shown to be fearful, upset, or anxious about a variety of circumstances. Physical peril was also common for Muslim women who faced direct threats and actual violence, including the threat of sexual violence.
Although there were 39 primary or secondary Muslim characters across the series evaluated, only 12 Muslim characters held series regular roles. These rolesoffered the greatest opportunity to showcase diversity within the Muslim community. Series regulars appeared in 5 programs across the sample. Compared to the full sample, Muslim series regulars were less likely to be women, and more likely to be Middle Eastern/North African and Asian. In terms of genre, 65% of the series (n=130) were dramas and 35% (n=70) were comedies. Of the 26 series featuring Muslim characters, however, only 11.5% (n=3) were comedies while 88.5% (n=23) were dramas.

Inclusion Initiative

Of all U.S. Netflix shows 2018-2019:

57.7% of all 2019 series were filled with female-identified leads/co leads versus 50.6% in 2018.
Almost half of the main cast across series (47.3%) were female-identified.
The percentage of female-identified speaking characters in 2018 (39.9%) was roughly the same as it was in 2019 (41%), and in line with the broader TV industry (40% in 2018, 45% in 2019).
32.8% depicted gender-balanced or majority female-identified casts.
Underrepresented main cast increased 11.4 percentage points (2018=27%, 2019=38.4%).
The percentage of underrepresented speaking characters (35.2%) was similar to the industry norm (35.4%) and increased over time (2018=32%, 2019=38%).
33.1% featured a majority of leads/co leads who were white males, 22.9% featured mainly white females, 10.3% underrepresented males, and 9.1% underrepresented females. The figures for underrepresented male and female leads/co leads did not change significantly over time. For underrepresented male and female leads/co leads, Netflix series fell far below proportional representation.
White men and boys comprised 36.2% of the main cast, white girls and women 30.7%, underrepresented boys and men 16.5%, and underrepresented girls and women 16.6%. In terms of proportional representation, series achieved this designation for white women in main cast roles, though not for underrepresented men or women.
Men and boys of color in series main cast increased from 2018 to 2019 (13.3% to 19.4%), as did underrepresented women and girls (13.8% to 19.1%). Netflix content showed significant improvement for girls and women of color in main cast roles from 2018 to 2019 overall and by storytelling type, but continued to over-represent white boys and men in main cast roles compared to population figures.
39.3% of speaking characters were white males, 25.5% were white females, 19.9% were underrepresented males, and 15.3% were underrepresented females. Once again, Netflix achieved proportional representation to the U.S. Census only for underrepresented male characters.
Only 2 scripted shows had a majority of leads/co leads who were LGBTQ.
Netflix series featured LGBTQ main cast in 6.1% of roles, which was consistent over time (2018=4.6%, 2019=7.4%). Netflix series were also similar to the representation of LGBTQ series regulars in primetime broadcast programs (2018=6.4%, 2019=8.8%) each year.
Over two years, 3.3% of series characters were LGBTQ, which did not deviate meaningfully from 2018 to 2019.
Fewer than 1% of all series featured a majority of leads/co leads with a disability.
5.1% of main cast were shown with a disability. In 2018 (Netflix=5.2%, industry=1.8%) and 2019 (Netflix=5%, industry=2.1%), there were no significant differences between Netflix and series regulars with a disability in primetime broadcast shows.
2.4% of speaking characters in series had a disability, which was consistent from 2018 (2.4%) to 2019 (2.5%).
29.8% of show creators were women. A significant increase in the percentage of women show creators was observed from 2018 (26.9%) to 2019 (32.2%). Netflix was significantly more likely than the broader industry to showcase women creators (Netflix=26.9%, industry=22% in 2017/2018; Netflix=32.2%, industry=25% in 2018/2019).
Over a third (36.7%) of credited producers on series were women. A notably higher percentage of women producers were credited on Netflix series in 2019 (39.5%) than in 2018 (33.3%). In comparison to industry statistics, Netflix employed fewer women in producing roles (33.3%) in 2018 than the wider industry (40%) but kept pace with the norm in 2019 (40%).
Looking to episode writers in scripted series, 36.4% were women—a percentage that jumped substantially from 2018 (30.6%) to 2019 (41.3%). Netflix (36.4%) significantly outpaced the industry (30%) overall in women writers, as well as in 2018 (30.6% vs. 25%) and in 2019 (41.3% vs. 35%).
Of the 1,666 series directors working on Netflix shows, 27.7% were women. This percentage did not differ meaningfully by year. Netflix (27.7%) was on par with the wider industry (28%) in hiring patterns for women directors overall, in 2018 (Netflix=25.1%; industry 2017/18=25%) and in 2019 (Netflix=29.9%, industry 2018/19=31%).
Women in key creative roles were associated with having more girls and women on screen. Series with at least one woman show creator attached, in comparison to series without a woman creator, featured more female-identified leads/co leads (74.6% vs. 41%), series regulars (56.2% vs. 41.5%) and speaking characters (45.9% vs. 37.1%). Similar findings emerged when women writers were credited.
Of series creators, only 12.2% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. Netflix had significantly more underrepresented creators in 2019 (15.9%) than in 2018 (7.6%). There was no difference between Netflix series (12.2%) and the industry overall14 in the percentage of underrepresented show creators (10.4%).
Across all Netflix series producers, 15% were underrepresented. Netflix was significantly below the industry average for underrepresented producers in 2018 (WGA=26.4%) and 2019 (WGA=39.4%).
Less than 20% of Netflix series episode writers (17.4%) were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group, which increased over time (2018=13.9%, 2019=20.3%).
Of Netflix series directors, 79.9% of were white and 20.1% were underrepresented, which was consistent per year (2018=19%, 2019=21%). Netflix fell below DGA levels for 2018 (2017-18=24%) and 2019 (2018-19=27%).
Underrepresented content creators working above the line in scripted series under indexed notably from proportional representation with U.S. Census (39.9%). Underrepresented series creators were more responsible than white creators for underrepresented leads/co leads (53.8%, vs. 24.8%), series regulars (57.3% vs. 29.1%) and speaking characters (58.8% vs. 31.2%). The same trends appeared for underrepresented vs. white writers.
Of all series creators, 62% were white men, 25.9% were white women, 8.4% of were underrepresented men, and 3.8% were underrepresented women. A significant increase over time occurred for underrepresented men; in 2018, 5.1% of creators were underrepresented men, rising to 11% in 2019. There was no similar increase for underrepresented women over time.
More than half (54.3%) of series producers were white men, 30.7% were white women, 8.7% were underrepresented men, and 6.2% were underrepresented women. There was no difference per year for underrepresented men or women in producing roles.
Series episode writers were most likely to be white men (54.5%), followed by white women (27.8%), though there was no difference in the percentage of underrepresented men (8.7%) or women (8.7%) writers overall.
More underrepresented men received episodic writing credits in 2019 (11.1%) than 2018 (5.8%), though there was no corresponding increase for underrepresented women.
Among directors, 58% were white men, 21.8% were white women, 14.2% were underrepresented men, and 5.9% were underrepresented women. Netflix fell below the DGA average for underrepresented men (18.4%), but was roughly on par with the DGA average for underrepresented women (7.1%) directors.

Inclusion Initiative

2018-2019 SEASON

Women on TV

Females comprised 44% of characters on broadcast programs, 45% of characters on cable programs, and 45% of characters on streaming programs.
Females comprised 45% of major characters across broadcast network, cable, and streaming programs.
Across platforms, 70% of female characters were White, 17% were Black, 7% were Asian, 6% were Latina, and 1% were of some other race or ethnicity.
Overall, female characters were younger than males. The majority of female characters were in their 20s and 30s (56%), whereas the majority of male characters were in their 30s and 40s (59%).
75% of male characters but 66% of females had identifiable occupations. 56% of males but 44% of females were seen in their work environment, actually working.
Across platforms, female characters were more likely than males to play personal life-oriented roles, such as wife and mother. In contrast, male characters were more likely than females to play work-oriented roles, such as business executive. For example, 53% of female characters and 39% of males were seen playing personal-life roles.

Women Behind the Scenes

Women accounted for 31% of individuals working in key behind-the-scenes positions.
Women working as creators, directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and directors of photography reached historic highs on broadcast programs (31%), and cable programs (31%). Women accounted for 30% of behind the-scenes individuals working on streaming programs.
52% of programs employed 5 or fewer women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, 17% of programs employed 5 or fewer men. 3% of programs employed 14 or more women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, 38% employed 14 or more men.
The employment of women working in key behind-the-scenes positions on broadcast network programs inched upward, increasing from 27% in 2017-18 to 31% in 2018-19.
Across platforms, women fared best as producers (40%), followed by writers (35%), executive producers (30%), directors (26%), creators (25%), editors (21%), and directors of photography (5%).
96% of the programs considered had no women directors of photography, 79% had no women directors, 77% had no women editors, and 77% had no women creators.
Women accounted for 25% of creators, up from 22% in 2017-18.
Across platforms, programs with at least 1 woman creator employed substantially greater percentages of women in other key behind-the-scenes roles and featured more female characters in major and speaking roles than programs with exclusively male creators. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman creator, women accounted for 65% of writers versus 19% on programs with no women creators.
Across platforms, programs with at least 1 woman executive producer featured more female characters in speaking roles and major roles, and more women in other key behind-the-scenes positions, than programs with exclusively male executive producers. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman executive producer, women accounted for 38% of writers. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, women comprised 12% of writers.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

For the first time, half of all TV episodes were helmed by women or directors of color.
The percentage of episodes directed by women grew to a record 31%.
The percentage of episodes helmed by directors of color rose to a new high of 27%.
The percentage of episodes directed by Caucasian females was 22%; and the percentage of episodes directed by minority females was 8%.
49% of first-time hires in the 2018-19 season were women.
29% of first-time hires were directors of color.
Disney/ABC had the highest ratio of women-directed episodes (40.1 percent), while Netflix had the lowest (24.8 percent).
Disney/ABC had the highest percentage of episodes directed by women and/or people of color (57.7 percent), while Sony’s was the lowest (46.1 percent)

DGA

2017-2018 SEASON

Women on TV

Just 39% of the credited cast on the 100 top animated TV series on broadcast and cable were girls or women. Only 12% of the cast were females of color.

Inclusion Initiative

Overall, 68% of the programs considered featured casts with more male than female characters in 2017-18. 11% had ensembles with equal numbers of female and male characters. 21% of the programs featured casts with more female than male characters.
Females comprised 40% of all speaking characters. This is below the level achieved in 2012-13 when females accounted for 42% of all speaking characters.
By platform, females accounted for 41% of all speaking characters on broadcast network programs, 40% on cable programs, and 39% on streaming programs.
Females comprised 40% of major characters on broadcast network, cable and streaming programs. This is below the percentage achieved in 2012-13 of 41%.
Across platforms, the percentage of Latina characters in speaking roles reached a historical high in 2017-18. The percentage of Latinas increased from 5% in 2016-17 to 7% in 2017-18. Despite this increase, Latinas remain the most underrepresented ethnic group when compared to their representation in the U.S. population.
Black characters remained steady at 19% of all female characters in speaking roles. The percentage of female Asian characters in speaking roles remained unchanged at 6% in 2017-18.
Male characters remain more likely than females to be identified by their occupational status, and to be seen at work, actually working. 76% of male characters but 63% of females had identifiable occupations. Further, 61% of males but 50% of females were seen in their work environment, actually working.
Female characters were more likely than males to play personal life-oriented roles, such as wife and mother. In contrast, male characters were more likely than females to play work-oriented roles, such as business executive. For example, 58% of male characters and 42% of females were seen playing professional roles.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Women Behind the Scenes

13% (n=16) of the top 100 animation programs’ episodes or 1st segments coded were directed by women. Only 3, or 2%, were helmed by a woman of color. All 3 underrepresented females directors were Asian.
Females were only 20% of EPs and 17% of CoEPs across 100 animated television shows. Only 6 women of color held EP titles. No co EP titles in the sample credited a woman of color.
More women (34%) were credited as producers but there were few women from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups with this title (8%). Just 17% (n=24 of 145) of “Created by” or “Developed by” credits were held by women and only 3 of those women were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
In 100 animated TV series, 25% of the writers (n=198) were women. Ten of these women were from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds (6 Asian, 2 Latinx, 1 Black, 1 multiracial).
For the below the line key roles in animated TV series, females comprised only 28% of story editors
(1% women of color), 18% of editors (4% women of color), 16% of animation directors (8% women of color), 20% of lead animators (13% women of color), 24% of lead character designers (7% women of color), and 11% of lead storyboard artists (3% women of color).
Just over a third of animators were women (35%). In comparison, a similar percentage was found of women in character design (33%) and a lower percentage of women as storyboard artists (24%). Of the 172 storyboard revisionists listed, fully half (54%) were women.
Women represented 39% of all animation executives female in television. 16, or 9% were women of color.
Only 6% of the most prestigious posts (e.g., CEO, CCO, Presidents) in television were held by women.
As power increases, females’ participation decreases. All but 2 of the 23 women of color executives were found at the SVP level and below.

Inclusion Initiative

Women comprised 27% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network, cable, and streaming programs.
Women accounted for 27% of behind-the-scenes individuals working on broadcast network programs, 28% on cable programs, and 27% on streaming programs.
The employment of women working in key behind-the-scenes positions on broadcast network programs has stalled, with no meaningful progress over the last decade. Women comprised 27% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network programs in 2017-18. This represents an increase of only 1 percentage point from 26% in 2006-07.
69% of programs employed 5 or fewer women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, only 13% of programs employed 5 or fewer men. 2% of programs employed 14 or more women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, 45% of programs employed 14 or more men.
Women fared best as producers (40%), followed by executive producers (26%), writers (25%), editors (24%), creators (22%), directors (17%), and directors of photography (3%).
Startlingly high percentages of programs employed no women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. 97% of the programs considered had no women directors of photography, 86% had no women directors, 76% had no women editors, 75% had no women creators, 74% had no women writers, 25% had no women producers, and 22% had no women executive producers.
Women comprised 27% of creators. This represents an increase of only 1 percentage point from 26% in 2012-13.
Programs with at least 1 woman creator employed substantially greater percentages of women in other key behind-the-scenes roles and more major female characters than programs with exclusively male creators. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman creator, women accounted for 27% of directors versus 13% on programs with no women creators. Similarly, on programs with at least 1 woman creator, women comprised 45% of writers versus 16% on programs with no women creators.
Programs with at least 1 woman executive producer featured more female characters in speaking roles and major roles, and more women in other key behind-the-scenes
positions, than programs with exclusively male executive producers. For example, on programs with at least 1 woman executive producer, females accounted for 42% of major characters. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, females comprised 33% of major characters.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

41% (82) of first-time hires were women. That is an increase from 33% the prior season, and just 11% in the 2009-10 season.
31% of first-time hires were directors of color. That is an increase from 27% in the 2016/17 season, and just 12% in 2009-10.
13% (27) of first-time hires were women of color. That is an increase from 9% last season, and just 2% in 2009-10 season.

DGA

Women and persons of color remain underrepresented relative to their percentages in the overall U.S. population.
Women comprise 51% of the population and 36% of TV writers.
People of color are 39% of the population and 27% of TV writers.
As employment on TV series has doubled over the last decade, women have increased from 30% of the work force to 35% and POC have increased their share from 17% to 27%.
Discrimination gets worse at the upper levels. On writing staffs, persons of color are mostly concentrated at lower levels.
Women represent 50% of staff writers, 53% of story editors, 49% of executive story editors, 42% of co-producers, 41% of producers, 51% of supervising producers, 38% of consulting producers, 34% of co-exec producers, 17% of exec producers, and 24% of showrunners.
People of color make up 45% of staff writers, 38% of story editors, 47% of executive story editors, 37% of co-producers, 27% of producers, 33% of supervising producers, 20% of consulting producers, 23% of co-exec producers, 12% of exec producers, and 12% of showrunners.
Despite the fact that 56.7 million Americans identify as disabled, writers with disabilities make up less than 1% of employed TV writers.
Writers over 50 face to the same ageism in TV staffing that pervades all of Hollywood. There is a near-total absence of staff writers over 50.

WGA West

2016-2017 SEASON

Women on TV

Overall, 68% of the programs considered featured casts with more male than female characters. 11% had ensembles with equal numbers of female and male characters. 21% of the programs featured casts with more female than male characters.
Across platforms, females comprised 42% of all speaking characters.
Females accounted for 42% of major characters on broadcast network, cable, and streaming programs.
Women comprised 43% of all speaking characters on broadcast network programs in 2016-17, the same percentage achieved in 2007–08.
Across platforms, programs are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Black characters in speaking roles comprised 19% of all females in 2016–17, up from 16% in 2015–16. Asian characters accounted for 6% of all females in 2016–17, up from 4% in 2015–16. The percentage of Latinas increased from 4% in 2015–16 to 5% in 2016–17.
Broadcast network programs became more racially and ethnically diverse in 2016–17, with Black and Asian female characters achieving recent historical highs. The percentage of Black females was 21% in 2016–17. The percentage of Asian females was 7% in 2016–17.
Latinas accounted for only 5% of all female characters with speaking roles on broadcast network programs. This figure is even with the number achieved in 2015–16 and 2010–11.
Female characters were younger than their male counterparts, more likely than men to be identified by their marital status, and less likely than men to be seen at work and actually working.
Across platforms, female characters were more likely than males to play personal life-oriented roles, such as wife and mother. In contrast, male characters were more likely than females to play work-oriented roles, such as business executive.

Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

Women represented 39.7% of broadcast scripted leads, 43.1% of cable scripted leads, and 42.8% of digital scripted leads.
Women comprised 23% of broadcast reality/other leads, 28% of cable reality/other leads, and 29% of digital reality/other leads.
People of color accounted for 21.5% of broadcast scripted leads, 21.3% of cable scripted leads, and 21.3% of digital scripted leads.
People of color were 28.4% of broadcast reality/other leads, 22.4% of cable reality/other leads, and 17.6% of digital reality/other leads.

UCLA

Women Behind the Scenes

Women comprised 28% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network, cable, and streaming programs.
Women comprised 27% of all creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast network programs.
Overall, programs employed behind-the-scenes women in relatively small numbers. 50% of programs employed four or fewer women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, only 6% of programs employed four or fewer men. 3% of programs employed 14 or more women in the behind-the-scenes roles considered. In contrast, 47% of programs employed 14 or more men.
Across platforms, women fared best as producers (39%), followed by writers (33%), executive producers (28%), creators (23%), editors (22%), directors (17%), and directors of photography (3%).
Across platforms, 97% of the programs considered had no women directors of photography, 85% had no women directors, 75% had no women editors, 74% had no women creators, 67% had no women writers, 23% had no women producers, and 20% had no women executive producers.
On programs with at least one woman creator, females accounted for 51% of major characters. On programs with exclusively male creators, females accounted for 38% of major characters.
Regardless of platform, programs with at least one woman creator featured substantially higher percentages women in other key behind-the-scenes roles. For example, on programs with at least one woman creator, women comprised 57% of writers. On programs with exclusively male creators, women accounted for 21% of writers.
Across platforms, programs with at least one woman executive producer featured more female characters and had higher percentages of women directors and writers than programs with exclusively male executive producers. For example, on programs with at least one woman executive producer, women accounted for 18% of directors. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, women comprised 8% of directors.

Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

Women represented 32% of first-time episodic directors. This is a sharp increase from last season’s 19 percent and is nearly three times the number of the 2009–10 season.
Non-white individuals comprised 25% of first-time episodic directors. This means that the number of first-time minority directors has doubled since 2009–10.

DGA

Women were 22.2% of broadcast scripted creators, 22.7% of cable scripted creators, and 34.8% of digital scripted creators.
People of color represented 9.4% of broadcast scripted creators, 11.2% of cable scripted creators, and 16.5% of digital scripted creators.

UCLA

2015-2016 SEASON

Women on TV

Overall, 79% of the programs considered featured casts with more male than female characters. 5% had ensembles with equal numbers of female and male characters. 16% of the programs featured casts with more female than male characters.
The percentage of female characters featured on broadcast network programs last year was slightly below that achieved a decade ago (41% in 2015–16 vs. 42% in 2006–07).
The percentage of female characters with speaking roles was highest on broadcast network programs (41%), followed by streaming programs (38%), and cable programs (33%).
The percentage of major female characters appearing on broadcast network programs has declined since 2010–11. Females comprised 43% of major characters on broadcast network programs in 2010–11, 42% in 2014–15, and 41% in 2015–16.
Female characters were less likely than males to be portrayed as leaders, less likely than men to be seen at work and actually working, and more likely than men to be identified by their marital status.
Characters appearing on broadcast networks were more diverse than those appearing on cable channels and streaming services. For example, 71% of female characters on the broadcast networks were White versus 77% on cable and streaming services. 5% of female characters on broadcast network programs were Latina but only 3% of females on cable and streaming programs were Latina.
71% of females were White (down six percentage points from 77% in 2014–15), 17% were Black (up two percentage points from 15%), 5% were Latina (up two percentage points from 3%), 5% were Asian (up one percentage point from 4%), and 2% were of some other race or ethnicity (up one percentage point from 1%)

Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

On 1,251 broadcast, cable, and digital series in the 2015-16 season:

Women represented 35.7% of broadcast scripted leads, 44.8% of cable scripted leads, and 43.1 of digital scripted leads
Women accounted for 18.8% of broadcast reality and other leads, and 29.8% of cable reality and other leads
People of color comprised 18.7% of broadcast scripted leads, 20.2% of cable scripted leads, and 12.9% of digital scripted leads
People of color represented 26.6% of broadcast reality and other leads, and 20.9% of cable reality and other leads

UCLA

Women Behind the Scenes

The employment of women working in key behind-the-scenes positions on broadcast network programs has stalled, with no meaningful progress over the last decade.
Women accounted for only 27% of all individuals working as creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography on broadcast network programs. In 2006–2007, that number was 26%.
98% of series had no women directors of photography, 91% had no women directors, 78% had no women editors, 76% had no women creators, 71% had no women writers, 26% had no women producers, and 26% had no women executive producers.
60% of programs employed 4 or fewer women in the behind-the scenes roles considered. In contrast, only 7% of programs employed 4 or fewer men. 1% of programs employed 14 or more women in the behind-thescenes roles considered. In contrast, 46% of the programs employed 14 or more men.
On programs with at least one woman creator, females accounted for 45% of all speaking characters. On programs with exclusively men creators, females comprised 36% of all characters.
On programs with at least one woman executive producer, females comprised 40% of all speaking characters. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, females accounted for 32% of all characters.
On programs with at least one woman executive producer, females accounted for 41% of major characters. On programs with exclusively male executive producers, females comprised 31% of major characters.
On programs with at least one woman creator, females accounted for 48% of major characters. On programs with exclusively male creators, females comprised 35% of major characters.
On programs with at least one woman creator, women accounted for 51% of writers, whereas on shows with exclusively male creators, women comprised 16% of writers.
The percentage of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles was highest on broadcast network programs (27%) and streaming programs (27%t), and lowest on cable programs (22%).

Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

Women directed 17% of television episodes: Caucasian females directed 14% of episodes, and minority females directed 3%.

DGA

81% of first-time episodic directors were male in the 2015-16 TV season.

DGA

On 1,251 broadcast, cable, and digital series in the 2015-16 season:

Women accounted for 22.1% of broadcast scripted show creators, 16.9% of cable scripted show creators, and 31.5% of digital scripted show creators
People of color comprised 7.1% of broadcast scripted show creators, 7.3% of cable scripted show creators, and 15.7% of digital scripted show creators

UCLA

2014-2015 Season

Women On TV

In 2014-15, female characters comprised 42% of all speaking characters on broadcast television programs and 40% of all characters on broadcast, cable, and Netflix programs.

Programs airing on ABC featured the highest percentage of female characters (45%), followed by CW (43%), NBC and Fox (40%), and CBS (39%).

Female characters continue to be portrayed as younger than their male counterparts. The majority of female characters were in their 20s and 30s (60%), whereas the majority of male characters were in their 30s and 40s (55%).

77% of female characters were white, 15% were African-American, 3% were Latina, 4% were Asian, and 1% were of some other race or ethnicity.

35% of female characters but only 24% of male characters had an unknown occupational status.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University

The 2014-2015 season saw less than proportionate representation of women among broadcast scripted leads and among digital scripted leads.
Women were underrepresented by nearly 2 to 1 among cable scripted leads.
Women were underrepresented by more than 3 to 1 among broadcast reality and other leads.
Women were underrepresented by more than 2 to 1 among cable reality and other leads.

Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies

Women Behind the Scenes

Women accounted for 27% of creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography working on broadcast programs and 25% of those working in these key roles on broadcast, cable, and Netflix programs.

On broadcast programs with no women executive producers, females accounted for 37% of major characters. On programs with at least one woman executive producer, females comprised 43% of major characters.

On broadcast programs with no women executive producers, women accounted for 6% of writers. On programs with at least one woman executive producer, women comprised 32% of writers.

Women fared best as producers (38%), followed by writers (26%), executive producers (26%), creators (23%), editors (21%), directors (14%), and directors of photography (2%)

45% of programs employed 4 or fewer women in the roles considered. Only 4% of programs employed 4 or fewer men.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University

Women directed 16% of all episodes.
84% of first-time episodic directors were male.
27 series had 0% women and minority hires.
3% of episodes were directed by minority females.

Directors Guild of America

Women were underrepresented by more than 2 to 1 among the creators of broadcast scripted shows.
Women were underrepresented by more than 2 to 1 among the creators of cable scripted shows.
Women were underrepresented by more than 2 to 1 among the creators of digital scripted shows.

Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies

2013-2014 SEASON

Women On TV

Women made up 42% of the characters and speaking roles.
Female characters continue to be portrayed as younger than their male counterparts.
74% of female characters were white, 14% were African-American, 5% were Latina, 6% were Asian, and 1% were of some other race or ethnicity.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Women Behind the Scenes

Women comprised 27% of all individuals working as creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography.
Women created just 20% of all the shows.
Women account for 23% of all executive producers.
Women make up only 13% of directors, 17% of editors, and a paltry 2% of directors of photography.

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Women directed 14% of episodes (DGA)

2012-2013 SEASON

Women On TV

43% of all speaking characters and 43% of major characters were female.

Programs airing on the CW featured the highest percentage of female characters (51%), followed by Fox and ABC (44%), NBC (41%), and CBS (39%). The CW was the only network featuring female characters in accurate numerical proportion to their representation in the U.S. population.

30% of female characters but only 19% of male characters were in their 20s. 22% of male characters but only 14% of female characters were in their 40s.
78% of female characters were white, 12% were African-American, 5% were Latina, 3% were Asian, and 2% were of some other race or ethnicity.

Women Behind the Scenes

Women comprised 28% of all individuals working as creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography.
Women fared best as producers (38%), followed by writers (34%), executive producers (27%), creators (24%), editors (16%), directors (12%), and directors of photography (3%).

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film

Women represent 14% of episodic TV directors — 2% minority women and 12% white women.

DGA