Representation For Women Directors In 2025 Hit A 7-Year Low

Hollywood hasn’t treated women directors well in 2025, according to a new study published by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that representation for female directors in 2025 is at a seven-year low. The report analyzed the top 100 grossing films of 2025, finding that only nine women — 8.1% of all directors on these films — were in the directors’ chair. Last year, female directors made up 13.4% of directors on top-grossing films. As The Hollywood Reporter cited from the study, 2018 represented one of the lowest years, with only 4.5% of women in the director’s chair.

Women of color outnumber white women for the first time

The report also broke down statistics for female directors by race. Of the 8.1% of female directors for 2025’s top-grossing films, 5.4% were women of color. White women directors made up 2.7%. So, while women directors overall were less represented, the silver lining is that 2025 marks the first time women directors of color outnumbered white women directors.

Among major studios, Disney hired the most women directors in the 2025 top-grossing films. Meanwhile, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate did not have a woman director at the helm of any films included in the study.

Streaming-only films weren’t counted in the study, with the initiative noting that streaming services tend to have more women directors. The study notes that Netflix’s 2024 film slate included 20.5% of women directors.

Hollywood’s issues go deeper than politics

Dr. Stacey L. Smith, the study’s founder and author, said the new data reflects how Hollywood’s relationship with women directors still isn’t as strong as it could be, regardless of the state of American politics.

“The 2025 data reveals that progress for women directors has been fleeting,” she said. “While it is tempting to think that these changes are a result of who is in the Oval Office, in reality these results are driven by executive decision-making that took place long before any DEI prohibitions took effect. Many of these films were greenlit and in pre-production before the 2024 election.”