New Study Finds Women Underrepresented In Major TV Roles

For the second consecutive year, the percentages of women working both as TV creators and in major on-camera roles have declined, according to the latest “Boxed In” study released Thursday.

The report, which tracked over 3,200 characters and more than 4,400 behind-the-scenes credits during the 2023-2024 television year, was authored by Dr. Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. Within its pages, she found that females comprised just 23 percent of creators employed across broadcast and streaming, down from 26 percent in 2022-23, and from 30 percent the year prior. On screen, women accounted for just 43 percent of characters in speaking roles (both major and minor, down from 44 percent the year before. As for major characters, females made up only 45 percent of them this year, down from 48 percent in 2022-23.

“As creators of television series, the percentages of women are now substantially below the historic highs they experienced between 2019 and 2022. Their numbers have plummeted, particularly on broadcast network programs. The percentage of women working as creators on broadcast network series in 2023-24 was only 2 points higher than it was in 1997-1998, the first year of the study,” noted Lauzen, who’s been conducting research on the subject of female representation in TV for more than two decades. “The size of the population of female characters on screen is tied to gender ratios behind the scenes. When the percentage of women creators declines, the population of female characters also declines.” 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, television shows created by women also employed considerably higher percentages of women in other key roles behind-the-scenes. For example, of those with at least one female creator, women made up 30 percent of the directors involved and 60 percents of the writers. On series with strictly male creators, women made up only 15 percent of the directors and just 17 percent of the writers.

What viewers ultimately see on screen is similarly distressing. Per the study, on shows with at least one female creator, women made up half of the protagonists, compared to only 26 percent on programming from male creators. Moreover, female characters are notably younger than their male counterparts. In fact, across broadcast and streaming, 51 percent of male characters were 40 and older versus only 29 percent of female characters.

“Females begin to disappear from the television landscape around the age of 40. The number of males declines a decade later as they age from their 40s into their 50s. As a result, male characters are more likely to age into positions of professional and personal power,” added Lauzen. “It’s not something viewers would necessarily be aware of but these patterns have prevailed since this project started collecting data in the late 1990s. It reinforces the idea that men remain visible and vital past the age of 40 but women do not.”

The “Boxed In” report has been analyzing both on-screen portrayals and off-screen credits for 27 years. In that time, the study, which provides one of the most comprehensive historical records of women’s representation and employment in TV, has monitored more than 59,700 characters and over 74,000 behind-the-scenes credits.