On-screen diversity and representation has progressed so much over the last few decades — but what about the last decade in particular? It seems like the diversity gaps are closing, but more quickly for some demographics than others.
Google Research in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute and the University of Southern California revealed findings from a study on TV representation for scripted television shows from 2010 through 2021, in efforts to shed light on the status of inclusion and representation on TV in the United States and its evolution over the past 12 years.
“To move the needle, we need greater acceleration [of screen time for female characters] to achieve parity with male characters, conscious casting to consider a broad range of skin tones for both live action and animated characters, and more diverse storytellers behind the scenes,” Madeline Di Nonno, President and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media tells Teen Vogue. “Eliminating unconscious bias starts with a script! When there are diverse storytellers behind the scenes, there will be more diverse and inclusive characters on-screen. It is imperative that creative executives use an intersectional gender lens when evaluating all the characters being shown on screen regardless of whether they are a lead, co-lead, or minor character.”
