Annenberg Inclusion Initiative calls for an increase in Hollywood’s diversity
A summative study found little change in minority group representation in Hollywood.
By NOELLE VILLASEÑOR
USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a summative study Aug. 17 on diverse representation in the heights of Hollywood to explore the inclusivity of popular media over a 16-year period. The study found a lack of substantial growth in four categories: gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ and characters with disabilities.
The study, led by Associate Professor of Communication Stacy Smith, encapsulates findings from 1,600 movies — the highest-grossing fictional films of each year from 2007 to 2022 — in the “largest, most rigorous, and comprehensive analysis of identity in popular movies in the history of social science research,” according to AII.
Out of 1,600 films and 69,858 characters, only 12.9% had casts balanced by gender — and from 2007 to 2022, the gender balance saw no major increase. Since 2008, the percentage of women on-screen only rose slightly from 32.8% in 2008 to 34.6% in 2022. Out of last year’s top 100 films, a single speaking character openly identified as gender nonbinary.
Despite the hiring of diversity consultants at major studios — including Netflix, Amazon and Sony — AII’s report affirms annual findings by the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report that inclusion in cinema remains lackluster.
“Clearly, the activism and industry advocacy has failed,” AII wrote in its report.
Representation behind the camera has also seen little change since the turn of the 21st century. Out of the directors of the top 100 films from 2007 to 2022, there were only 22 women directors of color. More than 19% of directors came from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds in 2022 — only around a seven percent increase from the study’s origin in 2007.
In 2014 and 2015 respectively, AII added LGBTQIA+ and disability representation as categories of research in their study. While the sheer number of LGBTQIA+ characters on screen has risen recently, AII wrote film and entertainment still perpetuates an image that “continues to advance a portrait of White, male, adult characters.”
Characters with disabilities have also been met with little-to-no on-screen representation.
“Only 1 movie out of 800 examined showcased characters with disabilities in proportion to the U.S. population,” AII wrote in the report.
More than 19% of directors came from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds in 2022 — barely an increase from the study’s origin in 2007. (Edgar Colomba / Pexels)
“It should have been a shocking thing, but … I’m not that surprised,” said Yukta Kulkarni, a graduate student studying digital social media. “Even though social media has sort of brought in a whole host culture, and basically people [are] becoming a little bit more cognizant about inclusion and diversity, I don’t think there are enough stakeholders in power to actually make it happen.”
Hannah Jefferson, a freshman majoring in mathematics, said the finding was new to her but unsurprising.
“I don’t even have to research that to believe it,” she said.
Smith said the report is an “indictment” of diversity in Hollywood in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, citing the entertainment industry’s unwillingness to change its practices as the main roadblock to ensuring inclusion.
“Hollywood is … the way the world is represented,” said Alexandra Oxenstierna, a freshman majoring in arts, technology and the business of innovation. “It subconsciously puts ideals in our heads, so if there’s no diversity, it could instill bad ideals.”
In her conversation with the L.A. Times, Smith recommended a “Just Add Five” approach to diversifying Hollywood. That is, by adding five people from underrepresented groups at the different levels of film production — including casting, directing, acting and producing — cinema would see major improvements in the area of equality.
Kulkarni called the “Just Add Five” approach the “bare minimum,” adding that inclusion needs to happen at a “grassroots level” in order to make a difference.
“Any industry — music, TV — they do not care about persons of color’s voices,” Jefferson said. “They only care about making money off of us, so there will never really be any real change unless we are the ones in those CEO spots.”