Key points from the graphic
- The graphic shows the share of women in six behind the scenes roles on the 250 top grossing US films, for 1998, 2006, 2011 and 2012.
- In 2012 women were 25% of producers, 20% of editors, 17% of executive producers, 15% of writers, 9% of directors and 2% of cinematographers.
- The figures barely moved over 14 years: women directors were 9% in both 1998 and 2012.
- It also states a 5 to 1 ratio of men to women working on films, and that women direct 34.5% of documentaries against 16.9% of narrative films.
- The role figures match San Diego State University’s Celluloid Ceiling study of 2012 [2]. By 2025 women held 23% of these roles [3].
Women in film statistics graphic in text
Title: Industry Inequality.
Left panel: five male figures, an arrow and one female figure. Text: There is a 5 : 1 ratio of men working on films to women.
Right panel: two rings, 34.5% (documentaries) and 16.9% (narrative films). Text: Females direct more documentaries than narrative films.
Left chart: Percentages of women employed behind the scenes on top 250 films by role, with bars for 2012, 2011, 2006 and 1998 on a scale from 0 to 30 percent. Right chart: Percentages of women and men employed behind the scenes on top 250 films of 2012, on a scale from 0 to 100 percent. Every value is printed on its bar.
| Role | Women 2012 | Women 2011 | Women 2006 | Women 1998 | Men 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directors | 9% | 5% | 7% | 9% | 91% |
| Writers | 15% | 14% | 10% | 13% | 85% |
| Exec. producers | 17% | 18% | 16% | 18% | 83% |
| Producers | 25% | 25% | 20% | 24% | 75% |
| Editors | 20% | 20% | 21% | 20% | 80% |
| Cinematographers | 2% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 98% |
The graphic carries no title credit, source line or logo.
Where the figures come from
The role figures are from The Celluloid Ceiling, an annual study by Dr Martha M. Lauzen of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. Its 2012 edition analysed 2,813 people working on the 250 top domestic grossing films of 2012 and found that women made up 18% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors, up 1 percentage point from 1998 [2]. Its Figure 2 and Figure 3 contain exactly the numbers on this graphic, and it notes that 38% of the films employed no women or one woman in these roles [2].
Women at 18% of the workforce is about 4.6 men to every woman (our arithmetic), which the graphic rounds to 5 to 1. The documentary and narrative film percentages are not in the Celluloid Ceiling summary, and we could not find their source.
The graphic is a section of the New York Film Academy’s Gender Inequality in Film infographic, published in November 2013 [1].
How the numbers have changed
The 2025 edition of The Celluloid Ceiling, its 28th year, found that women made up 23% of directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers on the 250 top grossing films of 2025, the same as in 2024 [3]. By role:
| Role | Women on the top 250 films of 2025 |
|---|---|
| Producers | 28% |
| Executive producers | 23% |
| Writers | 20% |
| Editors | 20% |
| Directors | 13% |
| Cinematographers | 7% |
Women directors fell from 16% in 2024 to 13% in 2025. Women cinematographers fell from 12% in 2024 to 7%, though that is up from 4% in 1998. The report also found that 93% of the top 250 films of 2025 had no women cinematographers and 86% had no women directors [3].
Notes on this infographic
- Crop of a larger graphic. This image is the Industry Inequality section of NYFA’s 2013 infographic, without its title, credit or source list.
- Dated figures. The figures are for films released up to 2012. Current figures are given above from the 2025 report [3].
- Unverified panel. The 34.5% and 16.9% documentary and narrative figures could not be traced to a source we could open.
- Rounded ratio. The 5 to 1 ratio is a rounding of the 2012 figure of 18% women [2].
Questions about women in film
What percentage of cinematographers are women?
On the top 250 US films, women were 2% of cinematographers in 2012, as the graphic shows [2], and 7% in 2025, down from 12% in 2024 [3].
What percentage of film directors are women?
Women were 9% of directors on the 250 top grossing US films of 2012, the same share as in 1998 [2]. The 2025 Celluloid Ceiling report found women were 13% of directors, down from 16% in 2024 [3]. It also found that 86% of the top 250 films of 2025 had no women directors [3].
What percentage of film producers are women?
Women were 25% of producers on the 250 top grossing US films of 2012, the highest share of the six roles on the graphic [2]. The figure was 24% in 1998 and 20% in 2006. By 2025 women made up 28% of producers and 23% of executive producers, according to the Celluloid Ceiling report [3].
What is the ratio of men to women working on films?
The graphic gives a ratio of 5 to 1 men to women working on films. This is a rounding of the 2012 Celluloid Ceiling finding that women were 18% of directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors on the top 250 films, which is about 4.6 men to every woman [2]. The same study found 38% of the films employed no women or one woman in these roles [2].
Sources
- New York Film Academy, Gender Inequality in Film (25 November 2013).
- Martha M. Lauzen, Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University, The Celluloid Ceiling, Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 250 Films of 2012 (2013).
- Martha M. Lauzen, Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University, The Celluloid Ceiling, Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2025.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
