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Hollywood's persistent gender gap leaves women and nonbinary filmmakers behind

From Oscar snubs to hiring bias, the numbers don't lie—Hollywood's promises of change clash with reality. Meet the advocates fighting to rewrite the script.

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2 min read
The image shows a poster for the famous Rentz Santley Theatre, featuring a group of women wearing...
The image shows a poster for the famous Rentz Santley Theatre, featuring a group of women wearing colorful dresses. The poster has text written on it, likely describing the theatre and its performers.

Hollywood's persistent gender gap leaves women and nonbinary filmmakers behind

Women, trans, and nonbinary filmmakers remain underrepresented in Hollywood, despite ongoing efforts to push for equality. A recent networking event, Changing the Ratio, co-hosted by Women In Film (WIF) and ReFrame, highlighted their work and awards-eligible projects. The event comes as new data underscores persistent gaps in the industry.

In 2024, only 14 women directed the top 100 films, while 23 were credited as screenwriters and just 3 as cinematographers. Among these, only 5 directors and 3 screenwriters were women of colour. The disparity extends to awards recognition too: in 2025, women secured 29% of Oscar nominations, but nonbinary and transgender filmmakers received just 0.4% and 0%, respectively.

WIF and ReFrame have long campaigned for change. Their initiatives include advocacy, raising awareness of gender inequity, and promoting fair hiring practices. ReFrame, founded by Sundance Institute and WIF, tackles bias through peer-led strategies in creative decision-making. To spotlight underrepresented talent, the organisations released the *WHO TO WATCH: 2026 FILM FYC GUIDE*, featuring eligible women and gender-diverse filmmakers. They also host events like the *19th Annual WIF Oscars Nominees Party* to celebrate nominees across all categories. Research further supports their cause: gender-balanced productions generate nearly double the revenue of less inclusive films. Looking ahead, ReFrame will publish its *Report on Gender and Hiring in Film* in March 2026. The study will analyse gender inclusion in US-based narrative features, providing updated data on industry progress—or the lack of it.

The film industry still has far to go in achieving gender parity. Events like Changing the Ratio and reports from WIF and ReFrame aim to push for measurable change. Yet the numbers show that women, trans, and nonbinary creators continue to face significant barriers in securing roles, recognition, and fair representation.

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