A new report into diversity on film has revealed that Hollywood prefers women to be seen and not heard.
The annual study by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California revealed that of the 4,370 ‘speaking or named characters’ in last year’s 100 highest grossing US films, only 31.4 percent were women.
What’s more, women on screen were far more likely to be naked or wearing revealing clothing, with 30.2 percent described as ‘scantily clad’ compared to just 7.7 percent of male characters.
According to the USC researchers, films with strong female lead roles like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mad Max: Road Fury had created a 'misplaced optimism,' as women are still 'grossly underrepresented in the industry.'
The study also reveals that little has changed when it comes to on-screen representation (or lack thereof) for minorities. Nearly three-quarters of characters were found to be white, with little-to-no increase in the number of black, Asian or Latino characters seen on screen. LGBT characters, meanwhile, accounted for less than one percent.
Hollywood’s woeful record when it comes to embracing diversity is well known, with the recent #OscarsSoWhite campaign highlighting the lack of recognition given to actors and directors of colour. After much outcry both on social media and within the film industry itself, the Academy finally took small steps to redress the balance of its membership, with this year’s intake described as the most diverse in the institution’s history.
While there is some good news – in the form of an 11 percent increase in the number of female leads or co-leads since last year’s report – the on-screen stats reflect the state of things behind the camera: 92.5 percent of the top 100 films were directed by men, and just 11.8 percent of writers and 22 percent of producers were female.
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