A new report shows women are making historic gains as television creators, but almost exclusively on streaming platforms, widening the opportunity gap between them and traditional broadcast networks.
A tale of two screens: The number of women creators on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu shot up to a record 36% in the 2024-25 season, according to the latest "Boxed In" study. Meanwhile, broadcast networks such as ABC and NBC flatlined at 20% for the second year in a row, showing no progress. The disparity was just as stark in other key roles, where women on streaming comprised roughly a third of directors and editors, while the figure for broadcast hovered below 20%.
Who's in the room: The data reveals a clear multiplier effect, as having a woman creator at the helm changes who else gets hired. On their projects, women fill 62% of writing jobs and 42% of directing roles. In contrast, on programs run exclusively by men, both those numbers plummet to just 20%, a finding echoed by other outlets.
While the progress in streaming is notable, the stagnation in broadcast suggests the platform where a story is told remains a major factor in who gets the opportunity to tell it. Meanwhile, a separate study shows that representation for women and people of color is a complicated picture in TV newsrooms. A new report found that while the minority workforce in TV news has increased, it remains below its recent all-time high, and the percentage of women in the TV news workforce has remained virtually unchanged from last year.
