10.6 Percent of 2019’s Top 100 Movies Directed by Women, Marking 13-Year High

A new research brief from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative shows that 10.6 percent of the directors of the top movies of 2019 are women. 

As detailed in a Deadline report on the research published earlier this week, that figure marks the highest percentage of women in that category in 13 years, though it should be noted that the number itself should indeed still be vastly higher. Dr. Smith pointed out that this also marks the first time a detectable shift in hiring practices for women has been observed. She specifically mentioned Universal, who had five movies directed by women among the top 100 of the year.

Dr. Smith also highlighted the slight drop in the percentage of women of color among the field of top movie directors, adding that four women of color directed one of the top 100 movies in 2019. The underrepresented directors stat for the year was 16.8 percecnt. 2018’s percentage, meanwhile, was 21.4.

“While 2019 is a banner year for women, we will not be able to say there is true change until all women have access and opportunity to work at this level,” Dr. Smith said.

All told, 70 out of 1,448 directors were women in the 1,300 surveyed movies. For the full rundown, including stats on Metacritic and more, click here.