Research shows that 2024 was a banner year for women in film.
According to a new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the on-screen leading roles in last year’s top-grossing movies were evenly divided between female and male actors. To be specific: Of the top 100 films – including musical hit “Wicked” and animated smash “Inside Out 2” – 54 featured women in leading or co-starring roles – a significant jump up from 30 in 2023.
“This is the first time we can say that gender equality has been reached in top-grossing films,” Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the study’s lead researcher, told The Wrap. The first time in a long time, too – researchers at the Inclusion Initiative have been studying gender representation in film for 18 years.
When broken down into groups, researchers found that an increasing number of women over the age of 45 are getting their time in the spotlight. That said, zooming in also revealed room for improvement. Of those same top 100 films in 2024, only 25% featured a minority in a leading role, which marks a notable (and discouraging) drop from 37% the year before.
And behind the scenes, representation continues to lag. In its latest Celluloid Ceiling report, the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University revealed that, among last year’s top 100 films, representation for women directors had decreased, dipping from 14% in 2023 to 11% last year.
Indeed, though the strides forward seen on-screen are heartening – a product of long-term advocacy, experts say – more progress is still needed. Besides, researchers at USC Annenberg add, everyone benefits when representation is more equal.
“We have always known that female-identified leads would make money,” Smith noted. “This is not the result of an economic awakening, but is due to a number of different constituencies and efforts – at advocacy groups, at studios, through DEI initiatives – to assert the need for equality on screen.”
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