Mumbai: Despite some progress, women still hold only 13% of senior leadership roles in Indian media and entertainment (M&E) companies, according to the third edition of the ‘O Womaniya!’ report. While this is slightly higher than the 10% reported in 2021, it underscores a persistent gender gap in the industry.
The ‘O Womaniya!’ study, conducted by media consulting firm Ormax Media and Film Companion with the support of Prime Video, assesses the representation of women in various aspects of content production, marketing, and corporate leadership within India’s entertainment industry.
The report focuses on three major categories: ‘content,’ which includes female representation on-screen and behind the camera; ‘marketing,’ examining the portrayal of women in promotional trailers of films and series; and ‘corporate,’ analysing female representation in the boardrooms of the top 25 M&E firms.
Of the 135 director and CXO positions evaluated across these 25 top M&E companies, only 13% were held by women. Additionally, only 12% of the 780 head of department (HOD) positions analysed across key departments—direction, cinematography, editing, writing, and production design—were occupied by women. While this is a slight improvement from 10% in 2021, the growth has been primarily driven by streaming films and series, with theatrical films remaining stagnant.
This year’s report studied 156 films and series released in 2022 in eight Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, and Gujarati) to provide a comprehensive overview of the industry’s progress since 2021.
“While there has been a slow but steady improvement in a few key parameters, the report highlights the need for a serious focus on inclusion. Streaming continues to lead the way for female representation, but the lacklustre performance of theatrical films should serve as an industry wake-up call,” said Shailesh Kapoor, founder & CEO of Ormax Media.
More than half of the theatrical releases assessed failed the basic ‘Bechdel Test,’ an internationally accepted measure of female representation in cinema. To pass the test, a film must feature at least one scene where two named female characters converse about something other than a man or men. In 2022 only 47% of properties passed the test, down from 55% in 2021. The sharpest decline occurred in theatrical films, with only 34% passing the test in 2022. Series and films such as Guilty Minds, Four More Shots Please! Season 3, Delhi Crime Season 2, Maja Ma, and Gangubai Kathiawadi, comfortably passed the Bechdel Test.
“Entertainment is a powerful medium which can and must highlight inclusivity and diversity. O Womaniya! is our attempt to push the needle to move faster. The steps taken to bring change may seem small but each step, each action matters, and with every edition of the O Womaniya! report, we believe we are moving a step closer to a more equitable ecosystem,” said Anupama Chopra, founder and editor, Film Companion.
In the realm of trailers, women received just 27% of talk time. Streaming films led the way with 33% of talk time allocated to women, while series and movies like Hush Hush, Gehraiyaan, The Fame Game, Ammu, A Thursday, Sita Ramam, and others allocated at least 50% of talk time in trailers to female leads.
“As an organization, we have always believed in equitable representation, not just within Prime Video and in our content, but also within the wider creative industry. By nurturing and empowering talented women within our industry, we can create a ripple effect of positive change in the wider ecosystem,” said Aparna Purohit, head of originals, India & Southeast Asia, Prime Video.
The ‘O Womaniya!’ report has garnered support from various industry partners, including Clean Slate Filmz, Emmay Entertainment, Excel Entertainment, Jio Studio, Producers Guild India, RSVP, SonyLiv, Tiger Baby and Zee5. Notably, industry leaders including studio heads, filmmakers, actors and others have committed to improving female representation in both their personal and professional capacities.
Source : Mint
