Looking at the Lack of Women Directors in Hollywood

2021 might have been a record-breaking year in terms of Oscar nominations for women directors, but there is still a lot of work to go. It is quite a known fact that there is a severe lack of women in positions of power in Hollywood, specifically a lack of women directors. Hollywood needs to start seeing more gender equality when it comes to who runs these film sets. In order to gain gender equality, major film studios should start to hire more women as directors and give them a chance by adapting the inclusive rider into the films it makes. Film studios that make big budget films should be more open to the idea of hiring more women into positions of power. Not only will it change the perspective of the stories that can now be told through a different view, but it will change the culture of movie making, and make sets a much safer place for both men and women to be.

In the past 13 years of filmmaking, the percentage of women directors is around 4.8%. With the male to female ratio being 20:1, and male to underrepresented female ratio being 92:1. Looking at the graph below, you see that the percentage of female directors did reach an all time high in 2019 of 10.6%.

That sounds promising, however when you look at the other years on the graph, the rise is not constant, therefore it will very likely go back down as other years have in the past. When you look further into where the biggest lack of women filmmakers are it is apparent that it is where the big budget films are being made. There is a 29.7% drop from independent films to top grossing films in the amount of female directors, showing how women are not given the funding to make movies that can reach a large audience. When it comes to underrepresented women working on a movie from a top distributor in the last 13 years, there were only 13. The pie chart below shows the distribution of underrepresented women per major film studio in the last 13 years.

Because women are not able to direct big budget films from major studios, the recognition of the few women who do direct movies is just as bad if not even worse. Before 2021, there has only ever been five female nominees in the best director category in the history of the Academy Awards, and only one winner, in comparison to men where typically five get nominated for that category each year. A lot has been said in regards to these appalling numbers, but nothing is being done.

The lack of women directors does not come from lack of talent, nor does it come from lack of women willing to take on the job. In fact, women and men have about the same metacritic score with women actually having a slightly higher one with a 55.8 and men having a 54.2. The lack of females in power on these sets mostly comes from the preconceived notions and stereotypes that Hollywood has about women. Female filmmakers in the industry are not allowed the same opportunity as males to fail in their films. Many women if even given the opportunity will only be given one chance and if that film flops it is looked at as a sign she shouldn't be a director and if that film is successful they look at it is a pass to have one more opportunity that she will then again have to prove herself. Along with that, there is nothing that ensures females are given a chance, and that holds films accountable to have diversity on set. Females are also not trusted with big budget films and are therefore limited to smaller films that do not get as much recognition or as much funding in general. Another reason comes from producers perceiving women to be a risk because for most of them, it will be their first time directing so they are not willing to give these women a chance. With the job of a director comes a “military esque” language that is used around the task itself, which makes it seem as though it is only fit for a man and that women are not up to taking on such a responsibility.

The benefits of hiring more women as directors would be immense, not only for the film making, but for the culture on sets as well. The entertainment industry is known to have a problem for sexual assault and harrassement. If more women directors were to be hired, this would switch the power dynamics on set. It is stated that alot of the sexual assault/harrassment comes from the men having a position of power while the women are all mostly working under them. Having women in positions of less power puts them in a place where they are more prone to anxiety, feeling like they have to follow what those in power say, and self-consciousness. With that being said, if women are put into power, they will no longer feel this way, and the power dynamics on set will change thus creating a healthier environment on sets for everyone involved.

Hiring female directors would also benefit studios by bringing in more people to see the movies. ​Listen up Hollywood: Women want to see more female ensemble films and filmmakers​ states that “According to a Fandango survey of 1,000 female moviegoers, 63 percent said they preferred to see female-driven stories told by female filmmakers and writers, up from 57 percent in 2018. Some 85 percent of these survey takers also said they want to see more female ensemble films, up from 75 percent last year.” It is apparent that people want to see movies made by female directors, telling female driven stories, and hiring women to make these movies would only help business by reaching this audience.

Putting females in the directors chair will make it easier to achieve gender equality and more representation in other behind the scenes positions as well, as women will bring other women up with them as they continue in their career. Along with bringing more representation to the set, hiring more women directors would also bring much more representation to society in general. Having different perspectives and stories being told through women storytellers, is so important. There is an assumption that directing is a job that is masculine and takes a strong powerful man to do, but in actuality directing requires an intimacy that women are actually known to have and films can benefit from having the female gaze, and being told through the perspective of a female.

If Hollywood really wants to change its culture, and start to be more inclusive, then studio executives could start adapting the inclusion rider into every film and television production that studios puts out. The inclusion rider is a contract that could be implemented to require at least 50% diversity in the cast and crew of productions. Stacy Smith, founder of the inclusion initiative at the University of Southern California works at looking at inclusion within the entertainment industry, and came up with the inclusion rider. The inclusion Rider became well known in 2018 when actress Frances McDormand introduced it in her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. Since that March of 2018, only five actors and filmmakers have committed to the inclusion rider, and one studio, WarnerMedia. By having studios start adapting the Inclusion Rider into its productions and requesting that these standards be met on every set, women in positions of power will no longer be the anomaly.