Report on Film Industry Diversity and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Annenberg Inclusion Initiative 2024 Findings

A 2024 study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, titled “Inequality in 1,800 Popular Films,” provides critical data on representation within the top-grossing films. The findings indicate that while some progress has been made, significant disparities persist, highlighting challenges in achieving key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

SDG 5: Gender Equality in On-Screen and Off-Screen Roles

The report reveals a mixed landscape for gender equality. While progress in female leadership roles is evident, it is not matched by comprehensive inclusion across the industry, a core tenet of SDG 5, which aims to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in all areas of life.

Progress in Female Lead Representation

• Over 50 of the 100 most popular films in 2024 featured women in lead or co-lead roles.
• This marks a substantial increase from 2007, when only 20 films met this criterion.

Stagnation and Persistent Gaps

Despite gains in lead roles, broader metrics show that systemic gender inequality remains a significant issue.

1. Speaking Roles: Only 33.6% of the 4,401 speaking characters analyzed were girls or women, showing minimal improvement from 29.9% in 2007 and 31.7% in 2023.
2. Behind-the-Camera Roles: Representation for women in key creative positions has plateaued between 2023 and 2024.
   • Directors: 21.7%
   • Screenwriters: 12.9%
   • Producers: 27%
   • Composers: 8.4%

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, noted, “Changing the ecosystem of content requires thinking about all the aspects of a story, not only who is at the center.” This reflects the need for a holistic approach to achieve SDG 5, moving beyond token representation to ensure equitable participation at all levels.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities for Marginalized Groups

The study’s findings on race/ethnicity, the LGBTQ+ community, and persons with disabilities directly relate to SDG 10, which calls for the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of sex, disability, race, or ethnicity. The data indicates that progress is uneven and, in some cases, regressing.

Representation of Persons with Disabilities

• Positive Development: A study high of 20% of top-grossing films featured a lead or co-lead with a disability, a significant increase from 8 films in 2023.
• Persistent Challenge: Representation in non-lead speaking roles for characters with a disability remains extremely low at 2.4%, a figure unchanged since 2015.

Regression in Race/Ethnicity and LGBTQ+ Representation

The report documents a concerning decline in representation for several communities, undermining the goals of SDG 10.

• Asian Characters: Representation in speaking roles dropped from 18.4% in 2023 to 13.5% in 2024.
• LGBTQ+ Characters: The number of speaking roles fell to just 39 in 2024, down from 60 in 2023 and 88 in 2022. A total of 82 films in 2024 featured zero LGBTQ+ characters.

Conclusion: A Call for Strategic Action to Meet SDG Targets

The Annenberg report concludes that recent progress in on-screen diversity is largely confined to leading roles and appears to be the result of ad hoc decision-making rather than systemic, strategic change. This approach is insufficient for making sustained progress toward the targets outlined in SDG 5 and SDG 10.

Expert Assessment

According to Dr. Smith, “The major areas of progress this year, for women and for characters with disabilities, occurred only for leading characters. This suggests that the change is not driven by an authentic desire for inclusion… Until evidence- and theory-based strategies are implemented, progress will continue to be sporadic and uneven.”

Path Forward for SDG Alignment

To align with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, the film industry must:

1. Adopt evidence-based strategies to ensure comprehensive inclusion.
2. Move beyond surface-level representation in lead roles to foster diversity across all speaking parts and behind-the-camera positions.
3. Commit to authentic and consistent storytelling that reflects the diversity of the global population, thereby promoting the social inclusion central to SDG 10.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

The following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are connected to the issues discussed in the article:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article extensively discusses the representation of women in the film industry, both on-screen and behind the camera. It analyzes the percentage of female lead roles, speaking parts, directors, screenwriters, and producers, directly addressing the core themes of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the cultural and economic sectors.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article highlights disparities in representation for various groups beyond gender. It specifically provides data on the inclusion of different racial/ethnic groups (Asian characters), the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. This aligns with SDG 10’s objective to reduce inequalities within and among countries by promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of sex, race, disability, or other status.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

• Under SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

    The article directly relates to this target by examining the presence of women in key decision-making and creative roles within the film industry—an important part of economic and public life. The statistics on female directors, screenwriters, producers, and composers measure the level of women’s participation and leadership in this sector.

• Under SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

    This target is central to the article’s analysis. The study’s findings on the representation of women, Asian characters, LGBTQ+ individuals, and characters with disabilities in popular films are a direct measure of their social and economic inclusion within a major cultural industry.

  • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.

    The article implies this target by highlighting the “uneven” and “sporadic” progress and the regression in representation for some groups. The quote from Dr. Stacy L. Smith calling for “evidence- and theory-based strategies” instead of “ad hoc decision-making” points to the need for deliberate policies and actions to ensure equal opportunity and reduce these inequalities of outcome.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicators for SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
  • Proportion of women in lead and co-lead roles in the top 100 films (over 50% in 2024).
  • Proportion of speaking roles held by girls or women (33.6% in 2024).
  • Proportion of women in key behind-the-camera roles, specifically:
    • Directors (21.7%)
    • Screenwriters (12.9%)
    • Producers (27%)
    • Composers (8.4%)
• Indicators for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
  • Proportion of speaking roles held by Asian characters (13.5% in 2024, down from 18.4% in 2023).
  • Proportion of speaking roles held by LGBTQ+ characters (less than 1% in 2024).
  • Number of films featuring zero LGBTQ+ characters (82 out of 100 in 2024).
  • Proportion of top-grossing films with a lead or co-lead character with a disability (20% in 2024).
  • Proportion of all speaking roles held by characters with a disability (2.4% in 2024).

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thewrap.com