68% of All Non-Acting Primetime Emmy Nominations Go to Men—Overall Numbers for Women Drop

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Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of women nominated for non-acting Primetime Emmys in 2021 decreased by three percentage points compared to 2020, according to a Women’s Media Center (WMC) analysis.

Of the 2,337 people nominated for non-acting Primetime Emmys in 2021, 68% are men, while only 32% are women. Last year, 65% of all non-acting nominees were men and 35% were women.

Since 2017, when the investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s abusive actions brought a major spotlight to the harassment of and inequities for women in Hollywood, there has been a slow but steady increase in the number of women nominated for Emmys in non-acting categories. This is the first time since that defining moment that WMC’s annual analysis has shown a downturn.

“Women have been fighting for a fair share of seats at Hollywood’s table for decades. Why is it that four years after a major shakeup in the entertainment industry and pledges to advance inclusion and representation, women — who are more than 50% of the population — are getting only a third of the seats at the table?” said Julie Burton, president and CEO of the Women’s Media Center. “Despite the attention focused on Hollywood and efforts to address the disparities for women in TV and on streaming platforms, this year’s WMCfindings illustrate that the trajectory for women behind the camera is clearly heading in the wrong direction. Emmy nominations matter — they add up to greater visibility, better pay, and more opportunity. When nearly seven of ten nominees continue to be men, something needs to change.”

Men continue to dominate in the four top non-acting Emmy fields: producing, directing, writing, and editing. When these four categories are combined, the overall numbers show that 68% of the nominees are men and 32% are women. In 2020, 66% of the nominees were men and 34% were women.

The highest percentages of female nominees were in writing and producing, 33% and 36%, respectively. There were gains in the number of female nominees in writing, but a drop in the number for producing. In 2020, women represented 28% of writing nominations and 39% of those for producing.

Women lost ground in directing: 12% in 2021 compared to 14% last year. However, the number of editing nominations for women increased: 25% in 2021 versus 20% in 2020.

“Gender inequities have no place in Hollywood — or anywhere else,” said WMC Board Chair Janet Dewart Bell. “The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences needs not only to take note, but to implement change.”

There were some notable behind-the-scenes accomplishments for women in this year’s Emmy nominations. Michaela Coel netted nominations in producing, writing, and directing for the HBO limited series I May Destroy You, a drama series about sexual violence and consent. She’s also nominated for her leading actress role in the series. Coel is the first Black woman to achieve Emmy nominations for acting, producing, writing, and directing in one year.

WMC Co-Founder Jane Fonda said she is a big fan of Coel and her work. “Congratulations to Michaela Coel on these nominations. She is a tremendous artist, and this recognition is long overdue. Her series was riveting. It changed the way I think about sexual assault.”

Maya Erskine of the Hulu comedy series Pen15 is one of the few Asian American women to be a star, executive producer, and writer of a U.S. primetime TV series. She received two Emmy nominations in 2021, as an executive producer and writer for Pen15.

The 10 programs with the most 2021 non-acting Emmy nominations all have at least one woman nominated as a producer, writer, editor, or director. Disney+’s sci-fi drama series The Mandalorian leads the non-acting nominations pack, with 21 nods. Disney+’s superhero limited series WandaVisionhas 20 non-acting nominations, and Netflix’s drama series The Crown has 15.

The 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air September 19, 2021, on CBS, with Paramount+ offering livestream access on demand.

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

WMC online and on-air journalism channels include the award-winning podcast and radio show Women’s Media Center Live with Robin Morgan, WMC Features, WMC Women Under Siege, WMC FBomb, WMC IDAR/E, WMC Climate, and WMC Speech Project.

For more information, contact Cristal Williams Chancellor, WMC director of communications, at cristal@womensmediacenter.com or 202-270-8539.