A new study shows just how big the diversity problem is in Hollywood
While much attention has been focused on the movie industry, with the #OscarsSoWhite campaign surrounding the second consecutive Academy Awards with all-white acting nominees, the USC study, titled "Inclusion or Invisibility? Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity in Entertainment," shows that the the problem extends to TV, too.
The study found that in TV shows - including broadcast, cable, and streaming services - just 22 percent of TV series creators were female, and women of color over 40 were deemed "largely invisible."
In movies, only a meager 3.4 percent of film directors were female, and only 7 percent of films had a cast whose balance of race and ethnicity reflected the country's diversity.
The study analyzed characters as well as people who worked behind-the-scenes in 109 films released theatrically in 2014 and 305 TV shows released from September 2014 through August 2015.
And overall, just 28.3 percent of characters with dialogue were from non-white racial/ethnic groups. Half the films and TV shows analyzed had no Asian speaking characters, more than one-fifth of them had no black characters with dialogue, and two percent of speaking characters were identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
"The film industry still functions as a straight, white, boy's club," the researchers wrote for their conclusion.
They also came up with solutions for change, which include "target inclusion goals" that are made public (like what the Academy has promised to do with its membership); "alter stereotypical thinking" when casting and writing scripts; and "build inclusive consideration lists" for writers and directors that contain 50% women and 38% people of color.