Women were overall better represented on streaming programs on screen and behind the scenes than broadcast during the 2021-2022 TV season, according to a new report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, first reported on by Deadline.
In streaming, women comprised 50% of main characters, compared to 48% in broadcast.
The proportion of Black and Latina female characters in key roles on broadcast networks was greater than that of streaming shows, at 28% and 7%, respectively, while on streaming programs, it was 21% and 3%, respectively.
However, compared to broadcast programming’s 10% representation of Asian and Asian-American female characters in major roles, streaming programs had a greater percentage at 15%.
Behind the scenes, the proportion of women in important positions, including as creators, directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors and directors of photography, rose to 37% in streaming but stayed the same at 31% in broadcast programming.
On broadcast networks, the proportion of female creators increased to 29%, but it remained unchanged on streaming shows at 30%.
However, very few women were employed in key behind-the-scenes positions in any of the programs that were taken into consideration for broadcast or streaming: 92% of broadcast and streaming had no female directors of photography, 79% had no women directors, 72% had no female editors, 71% had no female creators and 65% had no women creators.