UCLA diversity report ‘sets the record straight’ about representation in Oscar noms
The report aims to address equity issues in Hollywood
UCLA recently published their fourth annual Hollywood Diversity Report. This year’s findings show that although minorities and women have made some strides in the industry, they continue to be underrepresented.
The report was published by the UCLA Bunche Center for African-American Studies and includes statistics, graphs, and analysis each season. While the 2017 Oscar nominations are clearly more diverse, the report argues that Hollywood still needs to address ongoing equity issues.
Darnell Hunt and the Bunche Center are working to debunk myths about the state of diversity in today’s media.
Their analysis undoubtedly shows improvement in Hollywood. People of color, for example, have made strides in five out of the 11 categories counted. Among these are lead performing roles in film and scripted television shows.
Despite this, however, the primary issue appears to be underrepresentation. Minorities make up 40 percent of the US population, but only account for 14 percent of lead roles and 10 percent of directors. Meanwhile, women make up half of the population, but can only be found in 29 percent of lead roles and make up 8 percent of directors.
Especially after the #OscarsSoWhite campaign last year, a lot of media attention has been drawn to the underrepresentation in typical Oscar-winning films.
Hunt notes that contrary to popular belief, diversity sells. But simply adding more minorities to a script will not help – ultimately, an increase in diverse storytelling will attract a wider audience. Plus, authentic storytelling allows for the humanization of otherwise stereotyped and/or misunderstood groups.
“Diversity sells, first and foremost, because today’s audiences are themselves diverse and in search of stories and characters with whom they can identify,” the report reads. “Quality storytelling plus rich, diverse performances equals ratings success.”
One thing is for sure: we will all be eagerly awaiting Oscar results and cheering on our diverse Hollywood friends.