Women in TV Score Incremental Employment Gains, Study Finds

Women in primetime TV equaled highs in employment on screen and behind the scenes, while continue to lag well behind men by both measures.

Assembled by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, the annual report — now in its 16th year — found women accounted for 43% of speaking roles in the 2012-13 measurement period. That represents a modest uptick from the previous year and matches levels recorded on 2007-08, the previous high. Similarly, women accounted for 28% of positions behind the scenes on shows — encompassing series creators, directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography — compared to 26% last year, and 21% when the study began in the late 1990s. Despite the modest progress, Martha Lauzen, the center’s executive director, cited various areas of concern. Women of color continue to lag behind in terms of employment opportunities, and jobs for women in broadcast and cable are particularly few in directing (11%) and cinematography (2%). Just under a quarter of exec producers and series creators were women.