Despite the Academy Awards’ attempt to increase diversity by adding more nonwhite and women members, this year’s Oscars actually has fewer women nominated in non-acting categories than last year’s. EW reports that the Women’s Media Center, an organization founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem, has analyzed the 2017 nominations and found that women only made up 20 percent of the nominees in non-acting categories, which is down 2 percent from last year. This year is the seventh in a row that has seen no women directors nominated, and the 89th year (that’s the high honor’s entire history) without a woman cinematographer.
While there were some bright spots in the study — including Ava DuVernay’s nomination for best documentary feature for 13th, and Jackie composer Mica Levi becoming the first female in her category since 2000 — the report highlighted the ways women are underrepresented behind the camera. “We have a saying: ‘If you can see it, you can be it,’” Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center told EW, “but in the crucial behind-the-scenes non-acting roles, our investigation shows that what you see is 80 percent of all nominees are men. Four out of five nominees are men — meaning male voices and perspectives are largely responsible for what we see onscreen.”
