Women's Media Center: Women Trail in Key Emmy Categories

According to a study released by the Women's Media Center in Washington in advance of the Emmy award broadcast Sept. 20 on Fox, only 22 percent of the nominees for writing, directing, producing and editing, which are the jobs WMC says have the most impact on what gets on the screen. That percentage is only slightly better for the current crop of nominees, with 25 percent in those categories women. "Clearly there is a connection between the broadcast, network, cable, and Netflix programs that hire exclusively male creators and the industry-wide gender divide," said Jane Burton, president of the center. "When there are few jobs for women, it is easy to see why so few women in non-acting categories are recognized for their excellence.”

The categories break out this way: From 2006 to 2015, women made up only 8 percent of directing nominations; 13 percent of writing nominees, 18 percent of editing and 28 percent of producing nods. “Clearly, the number of nominees for Emmys is not representative of the impact or the accomplishments of women writers, directors, producers, editors," said WMC board chair Pat Mitchell, "whose overall representation in all those categories is still far from equal to their talents or the opportunities."