When this year’s Academy Award nominees were announced last week, it felt something like progress. Two years after #OscarsSoWhite was created, we have a class in which seven actors of color are nominated for awards. But, as many have noted, widespread representation is still sorely lacking: even as Black performers are gaining ground, Latinx, Asian, and other groups are not. And now a study focuses on how few women working behind the scenes came away from Tuesday with honors.
According to the report from the Women’s Media Center, only 20 percent of the nominees in the non-acting races are women, dropping two percentage points from last year. Essentially, if the category doesn’t specify a gender, it’s fair to assume that men will dominate it. This isn’t to say there aren’t some successes worth noting: The study highlights how Mica Levi’s nod for Jackie made her the first woman to be recognized for a score since 2000, and how Moonlight’s co-editor Joi McMillon is now the first black women nominated in her category. One top of that, nine female producers have films up for best picture.
In a statement, President of the Women’s Media Center Julie Burton said: “We have a saying, ‘If you can see it, you can be it,’ but in the crucial behind-the-scenes non-acting roles, our ‘Women’s Media Center Investigation’ shows that what you see is 80 percent of all nominees are men. Four out of five nominees are men—meaning male voices and perspectives are largely responsible for what we see on screen.”
The Oscars are set to be broadcast February 26.