Broadcasters Treat Female Characters Better Than Cable Networks Do, Study Says

A new study says broadcasters treat women better overall than cable or streaming networks do. Forty-one percent of major characters on broadcast shows were female during the 2015-16 TV season, compared with just 39 percent on streaming platforms and 28 percent on cable, according to a study by San Diego State professor Martha M. Lauzen.

Moreover, broadcasters offered more racially diverse programming, with black females comprising 17 percent of all characters – a historic high. Five percent of the female characters on broadcast networks were Latina; only 3 percent of those on cable and streaming outlets were. But the report, “Boxed In 2015-16: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes in Television,” made it clear there is plenty of room for improvement everywhere when it comes to gender parity, both in front of and behind the camera.