A comprehensive new study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at USC, led by Stacy L. Smith, reveals that Hollywood’s progress toward on-screen and behind-the-camera diversity remains painfully slow and prone to stagnation. Evaluating the top-grossing films of 2024 across a longitudinal investigation spanning 1,800 films from 2007 to 2024, the report highlights deep-seated gaps in representation for women, underrepresented racial groups, the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with disabilities.
The Bottom Line:
- While over half of 2024’s top movies featured girls/women in lead or co-lead roles, the overall percentage of female speaking characters has plateaued around 33.6% since 2007.
- Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups accounted for 36.4% of speaking characters in 2024, falling below the broader U.S. population benchmark of 41.6%.
- Behind the camera, progress for women and underrepresented directors, writers, and composers has effectively stalled with little to no year-over-year gains.
The Paradox of Leading Roles Versus Overall Representation
Hollywood loves a headline-grabbing milestone, but the granular math tells a much more complicated story. According to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative data examining the 100 top-grossing films of 2024, more than half of those popular movies featured girls or women in lead or co-lead roles. That is a leap from 2007, when only 20 films hit that benchmark. But here is the kicker: zoom out to every speaking character in those same movies, and the needle has barely moved.
In 2024, women occupied just 33.6% of the 4,401 speaking roles evaluated. Compare that to 31.7% in 2023 and 29.9% all the way back in 2007. As Stacy L. Smith noted regarding the findings, reaching parity for a handful of central protagonists is only the beginning. Changing the cinematic ecosystem requires thinking about all the aspects of a story, not only who is at the center.
Behind-the-Camera Hiring Stalls Across Major Studios
The glass ceiling behind the camera remains stubbornly intact. In 2024, women made up 21.7% of directors, 12.9% of screenwriters, 27% of producers, and 8.4% of composers.
When evaluated through an intersectional lens, the friction becomes even starker. While 41.6% of the U.S. population belongs to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, only 36.4% of speaking characters in 2024’s biggest films shared that background. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that while Asian characters saw notable long-term growth—rising from 3.4% in 2007 to 13.5% in 2024—that specific demographic actually experienced a decline from 2023 to 2024. Black directors also saw a downward tick in 2024 compared to 2023, while Hispanic/Latino and Asian directorial figures remained stagnant.
| Metric Evaluated | 2007 Baseline | 2023 Data | 2024 Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female-Identified Speaking Characters | 29.9% | 31.7% | 33.6% |
| Films with Female Leads/Co-Leads | 20 movies | Noted upward trend | > 50 movies |
| Underrepresented Speaking Characters | Historical low | Higher representation | 36.4% (vs 41.6% U.S. pop.) |
| Female Directors in Top Films | Low baseline | Comparable figures | 21.7% |
The Persistent Erasure of Marginalized Communities
Beyond gender and race, the study maps a profound invisibility crisis for individuals with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. Historical data from earlier Annenberg cohorts covering 1,300 top films from 2007 to 2019 demonstrated that characters with disabilities hovered around 2.3% of all roles in 2019, while LGBTQ+ representation sat at 1.4% in 2019. Longitudinal updates show that substantive inclusion for transgender individuals and actors with disabilities remains rare.
DEI efforts across the entertainment industry have been increasingly under attack — from consumers, lawsuits and even federal policy. Yet, the Annenberg data suggests that internal studio apathy may be an obstacle.
What are your thoughts on Hollywood’s stalled inclusion metrics? Are streaming algorithms and global box-office pressures driving studios toward creative caution, or is there a genuine lack of institutional will? Drop your perspective in the comments below.
