The proportion of women working as both TV producers and in major on-camera roles has declined for the second year in a row, according to the latest Boxed In study released Thursday.

Author of the report, which tracked over 3,200 characters and more than 4,400 behind-the-scenes looks in the 2023-2024 television year, was Dr. Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University. In it, she found that only 23 percent of creatives employed in broadcast and streaming were women, compared to 26 percent in 2022-23 and 30 percent the year before. On screen, women made up just 43 percent of characters in speaking roles (both lead and supporting), compared to 44 percent the year before. Among lead characters, only 45 percent were female this year, compared to 48 percent in 2022-23.

“The proportion of women as creators of television series today is well below the historical highs they reached between 2019 and 2022. Their numbers have fallen sharply, particularly on broadcast network programs. The proportion of women working as creators of broadcast network series in 2023-24 was only 2 percentage points higher than in 1997-1998, the first year of the study,” noted Lauzen, who has researched female representation on television for more than two decades. “The size of the population of female characters on screen is related to the gender ratios behind the scenes. As the proportion of female creators declines, the population of female characters declines as well.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, television shows created by women also had a much higher proportion of women in other key behind-the-scenes roles. For example, in shows with at least one female creator, 30 percent of the directors and 60 percent of the writers involved were women. In shows with all-male creators, only 15 percent of the directors and only 17 percent of the writers were women.

What viewers ultimately see on screen is equally troubling. According to the study, in shows with at least one female creator, half of the protagonists were women, compared to just 26 percent in shows with male creators. In addition, the female characters are significantly younger than their male counterparts. In fact, on TV and streaming, 51 percent of male characters were 40 or older, compared to just 29 percent of female characters.

“Women begin to disappear from the television landscape around age 40. Men’s numbers decline a decade later, as they move from their 40s into their 50s. As a result, male characters are more likely to rise to positions of professional and personal power as they age,” Lauzen added. “It’s not something viewers are necessarily aware of, but these patterns have been consistent since this project began collecting data in the late 1990s. It reinforces the idea that men are still visible and vital after age 40, but women are not.”

The Boxed In report has been analyzing both on-screen and behind-the-scenes portrayals for 27 years. During that time, the study has examined more than 59,700 characters and over 74,000 behind-the-scenes credits in what is one of the most comprehensive historical records of the portrayal and employment of women on television.