Hollywood Diversity Report Shows Little Progress After Two Decades

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s 2025 analysis of the 100 top-grossing films reveals that women comprised only 33.6% of speaking or named characters, a figure that has barely moved since 2007 (29.9%). Lead or co-lead roles for women appeared in 38 films, down from a 2024 high of 55. Among those, 15 featured a female lead from an under-represented racial or ethnic group and 3 were women aged 45 or older. Nonbinary representation was limited to 4 characters, and LGBTQ+ characters numbered 36 (under 1%), with no transgender characters identified. Characters with disabilities accounted for 2.8% (121 individuals).

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Behind the camera, only 9 of the 111 directors were women, matching the 2008 level and a decline from a 2024 record of 16. Women filled 16% of writer roles and 24.4% of producer roles, unchanged since 2007. Women composers rose to 8.5% (10 individuals). Racial and ethnic representation reached 41.5% of speaking or named characters, the fourth time in 19 years that this aligns with global population proportions; however, 30 films had no Black characters, 46 lacked Hispanic/Latino characters, and 26 omitted Asian characters.

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The initiative began systematic data collection in 2007, tracking gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ status, and disability representation on screen and in key creative positions. Over nearly two decades, the dataset has grown to include 1,900 popular films, providing a longitudinal benchmark for industry diversity.

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Dr. Stacy L. Smith, director of the initiative, noted that while isolated advances exist, the overall pace remains slow and patterns persist year after year. She emphasized that the report demonstrates both the possibility of change and its fragility, urging the industry to treat inclusion as a strategic priority rather than a byproduct of market forces.

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• “While we’ve seen pockets of progress for women on screen, the pace of change has been slow. Year after year, many of the same patterns remain,” — Dr. Smith

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• “Nineteen years of data show that change is possible, but they also show how fragile that progress can be,” — Dr. Smith

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