Report finds little change in TV's diversity behind the camera this year
It鈥檚 been a year since Matt Damon鈥檚 hotly debated assertion that diversity matters more in front of a camera than behind it.聽聽for the gaffe, and many responded with calls for greater diversity in Hollywood's hiring practices. But little has changed.
White men, who now comprise less than a third of the US population, directed produced during the 2015-2016 network season, according to an annual Directors Guild of America report released Monday.
The report, which analyzed more than 4,000 episodes from 299 scripted series, demonstrates very slight gains in the percentage of women and ethnic minorities working as TV directors. But it also highlights what some allege is the industry鈥檚 stagnant response to the longstanding problem of underrepresentation.
Nonwhite men directed 16 percent of the episodes in the sample, an increase of just 1 percentage point over last year鈥檚 report. Similarly, white women gained 1 point, to direct 14 percent of the episodes.
Women of color, meanwhile, served as an episode鈥檚 director just 3 percent of the time, for the second year in a row.
"These numbers shine a light on the in this industry, plain and simple," Paris Barclay, the guild鈥檚 president, said in a statement. "Of particular concern is the precedent being set by the fastest-growing category, streaming video."
While the number of episodes from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other streaming services more than doubled last year, only 8 percent were directed by minorities, the study found. Seventeen percent were directed by women.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a long road ahead for true change to be realized 鈥� because for that to happen, the pipeline will need to change at the point of entry,鈥� Mr. Barclay added, noting that employers need to focus on interviewing more diverse candidates and hiring experienced directors 鈥渋nstead of handing these jobs out as perks.鈥澛�
A separate report released by San Diego State University鈥檚 Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film this month similarly acknowledged stagnation in the share of behind-the-camera TV jobs going to women 鈥� and in front of the camera, too.
Dr. Martha Lauzen, who founded the center and has been studying women in media for two decades, tells 海角大神 there鈥檚 no simple reason that explains why women continue to be underrepresented and underemployed in this field, but unintentional human nature seems to play a role.
鈥淧eople tend to prefer to work with others who look like themselves. And that鈥檚 not an excuse. But I think it is an explanation for how hiring decisions happen,鈥� Dr. Lauzen says. 鈥淭here is a subconscious bias that takes place in the hiring practice that ends up suppressing the numbers of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles, which in turn suppresses the number of female characters we see on screen.鈥�
Lauzen鈥檚 research found that shows with at least one woman creator or executive producer featured significantly higher percentages of female characters, major female characters, and .
Although women in other male-dominated industries face uphill hiring biases of their own, the role of women in media is all the more pressing when you consider what they鈥檙e creating, Lauzen says.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not in the business of making toothpaste or shampoo. These are the individuals who help create and reinforce our culture,鈥� Lauzen says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a really important difference.鈥�
