A recent study conducted by the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative of the USC reveals that only 29 percent of speaking roles in Hollywood were awarded to women. The report exposes a disparity in the representation between men and women, gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals and ethnic minorities in Hollywood.
Released on Monday, the comprehensive study of diversity paints a dismal portrait of the film and television industry, both behind and in front of the camera. It describes the media and film landscape as "whitewashed" and calls the inequality an "epidemic."
A report that detailed a similar research conducted in 2014 has revealed the same Hollywood proclivity. Even with the success of Frozen and The Hunger Games in 2014, only around 30 percent of speaking roles were delegated then to women.
The result of that study was emphasized by Lena Dunham during her keynote address at the Austin SXSW film festival. She called on the film industry to reform its outlook on women.
That particular 2014 study exposed some shocking statistics. It revealed that only 13 percent of the top 100 films featured the same number of male and female characters. Most of the female characters were young, in their 20s and 30s, while their male counterparts are in their 30s and 40s.
The recent study looked at 414 feature films and TV shows from major film outfits including 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney. It analyzed the frequency of various groups on-screen.
The researchers found out that only 29 percent of speaking roles went to women. Only 28 percent of all speaking characters were given to non-whites in contrast to 38 percent of the overall U.S. population. The study also showed only 2 percent of the roles was gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Even behind the cameras, the study found that there was disparity in inclusion; with almost 85 percent of directors being male and 71 percent of screenwriters are likewise males.
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