This report analyzes the representation of gender, race, LGBTQIA+, disability, body size, and age in 82 films released in 2023, focusing on those rated G, PG, and PG-13 with budgets over $10 million USD. The findings highlight the need for ongoing commitment to inclusion—particularly as the industry recovers from pandemic-related disruptions and labor strikes—to ensure lasting, meaningful representation in future film productions.

Key Findings

Gender

  • Nearly 3 in 4 films pass the “Bechdel test.” The following criteria are necessary to pass the test: 1) at least two named female characters 2) who talk to each other 3) about something other than a man.
  • Overall, female characters are just 37.8% of all characters on screen in the films analyzed.
  • Just 35.3% of leads are female characters.
  • Female characters are almost five times more likely than male characters to be objectified (3.3% compared with 0.7%), and three times more likely to be wearing sexually revealing clothing (7.4% compared with 2.5%).

Race/Ethnicity

  • White characters make up 59.5% of all characters, while characters of color make up 40.5%. Black characters make up 20.5% of all characters, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander characters, who make up 11.6%, and Latinx characters, who make up 5.8%.
  • Of female leads, 64.5% are white and 35.5% are people of color.
  • Among films with a budget over $100 million, 40.7% of leads are people of color.

LGBTQIA+

  • LGBTQIA+ characters are nearly invisible in films analyzed. We identified only 1.5% of characters who are LGBTQIA+ in films from 2023. However, LGBTQIA+ people make up 7.6% of the U.S. population.
  • Just 2.9% of leads are LGBTQIA+.

Disability

Body Size

  • Only 6.5% of characters in films from 2023 are fat.
  • Just 2.0% of leads are fat.

Age (50+)

  • 18.7% of characters in films from 2023 are 50-plus.
  • 15.8% of leads are 50-plus.

Recommendations

  • Increase representation of female, POC, disabled, fat, LGBTQIA+, and 50-plus characters.
    Most of our findings show that representations of female, nonwhite, disabled, fat LGBTQIA+, and 50-plus identities in popular films still fall short when compared their demographic shares in the U.S. population. It is important to develop and produce films with a higher proportion of characters from marginalized groups, especially in leading and supporting roles.
  • Avoid tokenizing or stereotypical depictions of characters.
    When creating roles for characters from marginalized groups, ensure they are integral to the plot, have meaningful character development, and have a wide array of roles and motivations (e.g., leadership, authority, and professions). Avoid reverting to age-old stereotypes and tropes that reinforce harmful representations of marginalized groups.
  • Encourage behind-the-scenes representation.
    Behind-the-scenes representation is essential to creating authentic and compelling characters. Encourage the development of a diverse workplace to reflect the stories that are being told on screen by creating mentorship programs and funding opportunities for marginalized groups.
  • Incentivize projects and films led by diverse creators.
    Create financial and professional incentives to prioritize projects from a wide array of media creators on and off screen. 
  • Reduce objectification, dehumanization, and sexualization.
    Focus on creating well-rounded characters who play important roles in the story and are valued for positive or nuanced traits. Avoid representing characters with marginalized identities as static characters who are mostly dehumanized and sexualized in their roles in the story.
  • Educate workers behind the scenes.
    Utilize diversity, equity, and inclusion training in the workplace to create deeper understandings of inequality, stereotypes, and tropes on and off screen. Seek experts on these subjects to provide necessary context and materials to such sensitive topics. 
  • Create deep female relationships on screen.
    Beyond creating more meaningful roles for individual female characters, develop meaningful relationships between female characters on screen. Start by evaluating your film with the Bechdel Test.
  • Support research and data-driven decision-making.
    Fund efforts like the GDI Film Report report to create data-driven assessments of on-screen representation. This work provides a landscape of representation in the industry as well as has the power to hold industry leaders accountable to the annual state of representation. 
  • Celebrate diverse stories.
    Using awards, press, and commercial power, promote stories told from diverse perspectives or by media creators from marginalized communities. 
  • Develop partnerships.
    Partner with organizations like the Geena Davis Institute that are focused on on-screen equity, to promote balanced and authentic storytelling.

Suggested Citation:
Terán, L., & Conroy, M. (2024). GDI Film Study 2024: Women Take the Lead in $20-$50M Film Budgets. The Geena Davis Institute.

Previous reports

See our previous studies on family films below: 

And check out some of our other film studies below: