Women and people of color are vastly underrepresented in decision-making roles in Hollywood. Women make up 51% of the population in the U.S., but hold only 17% of key positions on film crews. People of color comprise 38% of the population but hold only 13% of key positions on film crews. Women and people of color are also underrepresented on the screen. Women account for just 29% of protagonists and 37% of speaking characters in the top grossing films. People of color constitute just 14% of protagonists, and only 38% of the top grossing films have a diverse cast.
Our race and gender grades are based on inclusion in the top six crew/cast positions:
- Director(s)
- Writer(s)
- Producer(s)
- First Actor/Actress listed in IMDb
- Second Actor/Actress listed in IMDb
- Third Actor/Actress listed in IMDb
The Gender Grade
Taking into account the percentage of women in the U.S (51% of the population), the Gender Grade is based on the degree to which the film achieves of gender representation in the top six crew/cast roles.
= At least 51% of the top cast/crew positions are women.
= At least 40% of the top cast/crew positions are women.
= At least 30% of the top cast/crew positions are women.
= At least 20% of the top cast/crew positions are women.
= Fewer than 20% of the top cast/crew positions are women.
The Race Grade
The Race Grade is based on the degree to which the film achieves racial parity in the top six crew/cast roles, based on the percentage of people of color in the U.S. (38% of the population):
= At least 38% of the top cast/crew positions are people of color.
= At least 30% of the top cast/crew positions are people of color.
= At least 20% of the top cast/crew positions are people of color.
= At least 10% of the top cast/crew positions are people of color.
= Fewer than 10% of the top cast/crew positions are people of color.
Origin Story
GradeMyMovie.com was an idea developed by Dr. Caroline Heldman in 2009. Dr. Heldman is an Associate Professor of Politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles and the research director for the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media. Her research specializes in media, the presidency, and systems of power (race, class, gender). Dr. Heldman’s books include Rethinking Madame President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House? (2007), Protest Politics in the Marketplace: Consumer Activism in the Corporate Age (2017) and Women, Power, and Politics: The Right for Gender Equality in the United States (2017). Dr. Heldman has been active in “real world” politics as a professional pollster, campaign manager, and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, Fox Business News, CNBC, and Al Jazeera America. She has also been featured in popular documentaries, including Missrepresentation, The Mask You Live In, Informant, The Hunting Ground, and Equal Means Equal. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New Orleans where she co-founded the New Orleans Women’s Shelter and the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum. Dr. Heldman also co-founded End Rape on Campus (EROC) and Faculty Against Rape (FAR), and was one of the early architects of the new campus anti-rape movement.
GradeMyMovie.com benefited from the advice and counsel of filmmakers Christine K. Walker and Maria Giese, and from participants at the Provincetown Women’s Media Summit.
Research Team
Zoe Alles
Sophie Craypo
Sammy Grace Herdman
Gabriella Mueller
Rosa Pleasant