Women Lose Ground In Non-Acting Emmy Nominations

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Gains made in female representation in non-acting categories for the Primetime Emmy Awards are being eroded as the total percentage of women who have been nominated for this year decreased, falling to 33% (while men garnered 67% of all non-acting nominations), according to a report released today by the Women’s Media Center, entitled Women’s Media Center 2025 Report: Gender and Non-Acting Emmy Nominations.

For the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, 2,634 people have been nominated in 102 non-acting categories. Of these nominees, 855 (33%) are women compared to 1,774 (67%) men, and five (less than 1%) are nonbinary, according to the report.

Men dominate the four top non-acting Emmy fields: producing, directing, writing, and editing:

• Men received 64% of the producing nominations.
• Men received 85% of the directing nominations.
• Men received 69% of the writing nominations.
• Men received 77% of the editing nominations.

Overall, of the 1,451 nominees in these four fields, 68% (988) are men, 32% (460) are women, and less than 1% (3) are nonbinary. 

Women were excluded altogether in 12 categories. In several categories, women were completely shut out of the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards after significant increases the previous year. For example, there are no women nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series or Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series. Women represented half of those nominations for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

“At a time when corporations are abandoning efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion, we find women behind the camera continue to hit a glass ceiling when it comes to recognition and celebration of their merit, excellence, and intelligence,” said Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center. “This translates to fewer opportunities for women, and that is a loss for everyone.”

The report shows that the total representation of women nominated for non-acting Emmys has yet to surpass 35% even though the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences increased the number of nominations in most categories.

“This report shows that the gender gap in behind-the-scenes roles persists and that progress is often fleeting,” said Jane Fonda, WMC Co-Founder. “The Women’s Media Center would like to see women attain true equality and sustained change.”

A closer examination also reveals that:

• Women of color are less represented in high-profile Primetime Emmy categories, compared to the previous year.
• LGBTQ representation is still dominated by shows that are led by and starring men.
• There isn’t a single woman showrunner over the age of 60 nominated.
• Women with disabilities appear to receive few nominations in non-acting categories.

“The lack of overall diversity for the non-acting Primetime Emmy Awards continues to be not only a historic problem, but a systemic one,” said WMC Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell. “The television industry needs to hire, promote, and nominate more women.”

Here are the highlights from the non-acting categories:

• Producing: There was a slight decrease in the number of women nominated as producers: Of the 978 nominees, 352 (36%) are women, and 624 (64%) are men. That’s compared to the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, when out of the 973 producer nominees, 371 (38%) were women, and 602 (62%) were men.
• Directing: There was a small uptick in total percentages for women in directing. For the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, of the 164 nominees, 24 (15%) are women, and 140 (85%) are men. By comparison, for the 76th Primetime Emmys, the 158 director nominees consisted of 17 women (11%), 140 men (89%), and one nonbinary person (less than 1%).
• Writing: The percentage of women nominated in the writing categories was the same as the previous year. For the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, there are 167 people nominated in the writing categories, consisting of 51 (31%) women, 115 (69%) men, and one (less than 1%) nonbinary person. Of the 134 writer nominees for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, 41 (31%) were women and 91 (68%) were men.
• Editing: The total numbers of nominated women editors decreased from the previous ceremony. Of the 142 editing nominees this year, 33 (23%) are women, and 109 (77%) are men. By contrast, of the 155 editing nominees for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, 42 (27%) were women, and 113 (73%) were men.

The 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be telecast live on CBS on September 14, streamed live on Paramount+ Premium, and available on demand after the ceremony.

The Women’s Media Center, co-founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem, works to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women in media to ensure that their stories get told and their voices are heard. We do this by researching media; creating original online and on-air journalism; training women to be effective in media; and promoting women experts in all fields through WMC SheSource.

Full report: Click Here.