Women Account for Only 20 Percent of Non-Acting Oscar Nominees
A new study shows a drop in the number of Oscar nominations for women.
— -- Though there is a more diverse slate of Oscar nominees this year, women only accounted for 20 percent of the non-acting categories, according to a new study.
The Women's Media Center, an organization that works to make women visible and powerful in media, said the actual number of female nominees in behind-the-scenes, non-acting roles actually dropped by 2 percentage points from last year's nominations, even after the academy's overhaul of its membership.
With no female directors and only one writer nominated this year, women were still underrepresented in the major categories.
"We have a saying, 'If you can see it, you can be it,' but in the crucial behind-the-scenes non-acting roles, our 'Women’s Media Center Investigation' shows that what you see is 80 percent of all nominees are men," Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center, said in a news release. "Four out of five nominees are men -- meaning male voices and perspectives are largely responsible for what we see on screen."
The academy did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
There were some notable exceptions.
Director Ava DuVernay, who became the first woman of color to have a film she directed nominated for Best Picture with 2014’s "Selma," received a nomination in the documentary feature category this year for her film "13th," about the history of African-Americans and mass incarceration. Women have historically been well represented in the documentary categories.
In the best picture category, a record nine women were nominated as producers, including Dede Gardener, president of Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, who received her fourth consecutive nomination for "Moonlight." Other nominated films she produced include "12 Years a Slave" and "Selma."
This year also saw some breakthrough nominees. Mica Levi, the composer of the score to "Jackie," became the first woman since 2000 nominated for best original score. Joi McMillon, the co-editor for "Moonlight," became the first African-American women ever nominated in the editing category.
Meanwhile, there has never been a woman nominated in the cinematography category.
There have only been four women nominated for best director, and Kathryn Bigelow became the first and only female director to win in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker."
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