Women Only Directed 4% Of The Last Decade’s Top Films

female directors

by Elizabeth Bennett |
Published on

While it seems on screen we have come along way in terms of achieving gender equality, new research shows that behind the camera it is a totally different story.

A study from USC titled Inclusion in the Director’s Chair? found that women only directed 4% of the past decade’s one thousand highest-grossing films. That equates to a ratio of twenty-four male directors for every one female director.

In fact, in the Oscars ninety year history, a mere four female directors have received nominations, with only one woman - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker - ever winning the award.

USC’s research highlights that it is not just gender that puts women behind but their age too. “Male directors work on top-grossing films even when they are 80. Females, in contrast, work across just four decades – their 30s to their 60s,” the study stated.

However, at the biggest disadvantage are non-white female directors. Of the top 1000 films, only three were directed by African-American women, three by Asian women and one by a Latina woman. While the #OscarsSoWhite campaign has brought about some positive changes, it seems we still have a long way to go.

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