Stat Review: The 2021 Celluloid Ceiling Report
Breaking the…Celluloid Ceiling?
The Celluloid Ceiling report just released its annual findings for 2021. The report, which defines itself as having “tracked women’s employment on the 250 top grossing films for the last 24 years. It is the longest-running and most comprehensive study of women’s behind-the-scenes employment in film available. This year’s study monitors women’s employment on the top 100 and 250 (domestic) grossing films of 2021.”
The Facts & Figures
After some historically high numbers in 2020, 2021 numbers are slightly disappointing. Women working as directors made up 17% in 2021, down just one percent from 2020. Additionally, the number of women directors who worked on the top 100 films of the year is down, from 16% in 2020 to 12% in 2021.
Another jarring fact is that 94% of the top 250 films of the year had no women cinematographers, 92% had no women composers, 82% had no women directors, 73% had no women editors, and 72% had no women writers. 92% of the top 250 films had no women composers.
Looking at the big picture, the numbers haven’t improved much since 1998. From 17% of women in any behind-the-scenes role of the top 250 films of the year in 1998, to 25% in 2021.
On the Bright Side…
In the top 100 films of 2021, the number of women directors, writers, producers and executive producers didn’t decrease from 2020, but stayed the same at 21%.
The area with the highest percentage of women were producers and executive producers, both with 24% in the overall films of 2021. Followed by editors (21%), writers (16%), directors (12%) and cinematographers (6%).
Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, who conducted the study, stated that even with today’s social media influencers and creators, it would not fix fundamental inequality in the film industry.
“While users of new platforms, female and male, may have greater familiarity and facility with visual media, the same barriers to entry in the mainstream film business remain. Women’s under-employment on these issues is not a pipeline issue,” she said in an email to The Observer. “The hope has been that the women working on indie productions would eventually be hired to work on studio features, as has been the case for men,” Lauzen added.
Despite huge accomplishments made by women in the industry in 2021, such as Chloé Zhao winning best director at the Oscars for her film, Nomadland, the numbers don’t lie. And they’re down- for now at least. We can only hope that women like Chloé can continue to inspire women and young girls to pursue careers in the entertainment industry in the future.
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