For almost 100 years The Oscars have been one of the most watched award shows. For weeks prior almost all major social media platforms are filled with Oscars predictions, hopes, and reactions. With the ever changing world and diversity becoming more common in the film industry, many people have been advocating for the Oscars to follow suit. While The Oscars have never declined in popularity, the diversity issue has created more and more controversy each year it is ignored by the Academy. As people become more aware of such issues in the Academy Awards and film industry, many have been pushing for the Oscars to create gender neutral acting categories. The Oscars should adopt gender neutral categories because it would credit actors for their merit against all other competitors, not just against their gender, and it would be more inclusive to non-binary actors.
The Oscars began in 1929 with a banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. They were first broadcasted over the radio, but in 1930 they began showing them on TV. The Oscars were created by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an effort to recognize the achievements of the best actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers. (Oscars, 2023) Since then, Oscars categories have grown to include costume design, music scores, cinematography, and much more. When it comes to Oscar nominations, there is a long process. Producers or film distributors enter films into the Oscars, where members of the Academy will then review the film. Nominations are generally chosen by members of the Academy in each category. For example, actors will nominate other actors, and directors will nominate other directors. (Oscars, 2023) After that, members of the Academy will vote for the winners, which are announced at the award ceremony. The diversity issue starts here. In an article written by NBC in 2020, they stated that while there are over 8,000 voting members in the Academy, they are majority white and majority male. In 2016, the Academy voting members were made up of 25% women and 8% people of color. (Block, NPR) In 2022, these numbers increased to 49% women and 19% people of color (Statista, 2023). With the voting members of the Oscars being so white and male, one can expect that Oscar nominations and winners would be too. Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actors are the only Oscar categories that are separated by gender. Over the years many other award shows such as the Grammys and the SAG awards have given up on gendered categories. This goes to show that having gender-neutral categories in awards is doable, despite the initial challenges that present themselves.
To fully understand the exclusion of women in the Oscars and film industry, one needs to look back at the first female filmmaker and her impact. Alice Guy Blache was a French filmmaker who created her own production company. She created over 700 films that went on to inspire filmmakers today. (WFPP, McMahan) Blache’s contribution to film history is undeniable. Many consider her not just the first female director, but the first studio director in history. She first began working under Leon Gaumont as a secretary. Gaumont was a French inventor who created the first film studio company that still exists today. She then began to direct for Gaumont films. According to an article by the Women’s Film Pioneer Project at Columbia, Blache oversaw at least 600 silent films and 150 synchronized sound films in Paris. At age 34 she married Herebet Blache, a colleague, and soon after moved to the US so her husband could start another branch of Gaumont in Cleveland. After some time the studio failed, and Alice and her husband were relocated to New York. Although the studio in New York was meant to be another Guamont studio, it also failed. Blache took advantage of the opportunity and used the space to create her own company named Solax. Blache’s company thrived for several years and many films were created. Blache is credited with being the first female director, and the first director to create a fictional narrative on film. Despite her vast contributions to the early film industry, Blache was forgotten for many years. Although all of her achievements were recorded, she still was not recognized or credited for many years. Pamela B Green created a documentary called, Be Natural, that discusses Blache’s achievements and involvement in the film industry, and how she could be forgotten. Green believes that Blache was forgotten solely because of her gender. The men who got to write film history simply could not believe that a woman could attain all these brilliant achievements and decided to disregard Alice Guy Blache’s history. (Rose, 2020) This continues to happen in the film industry today. Women and non-binary people in the industry don’t have a place for themselves. They are often meant to play roles written by misogynistic or transphobic writers that don’t truly understand a non-male perspective. Or they are pushed to the back with their opinions ignored despite having as much, or more experience than men in the industry. These issues translate into awards such as the Oscars. Some people are afraid that if gendered categories are removed then women and non-binary people will have no chance at all because they are competing in a majority male space. This might hold some truth, but keeping gendered categories will continue to be harmful and exclusionary. Blache’s legacy has been remembered and by making space for women and non-binary people in the film industry, impactful roles such as hers can become more attainable.
The film industry’s diversity issues are not limited to awards and jobs, but also to the movies themselves. The horror genre is a prime example of women creating a space for themselves in a genre that often objectifies them. While there are many horror movies that oversexualize their female characters for male audiences, there are also many horror movies that create complex and interesting female characters that transcend harmful stereotypes. In an article about misogyny and horror by Medium, they discuss how violent scenes against women in horror films are often long and gory, in ways that are disturbing to viewers. These scenes are difficult but are often in films in which women are able to turn their traumatic experiences into revenge stories. These can be cathartic and empowering for women who have experienced similar violence. Furthermore, horror movies are one of the only genres that have an over 50% pass rate for the Bechdel test (medium.com). Horror seems like a genre that wouldn’t seem feminist. It may come as a shock to see death, gore, and fear used as a tool for feminists, but for years women have loved acting in and creating horror films. Even Alice Guy Blache created a few horror films in her time, which went on to inspire many others including Alfred Hitchcock (nofilmschool.com) Horror also commonly has women as protagonists. These protagonists are often the only survivors thus called the “final girls''. An article by No Film School talks about many different final girls and their transformation from victim to villain. Characters such as Carrie from Stephen King’s Carrie and Jennefer from Diablo Cody’s Jennefer’s Body embody the victim to villainess pipeline. Both were wronged and harmed by those around them, which awakened a power within them. They both used their powers to exact revenge on those who wronged them. Although they aren’t technically heroes, these women got the justice they deserved in a world where they might not have gotten it otherwise. Women in the horror genre do not wait for others to give them permission to take up space. Unfortunately, women in the rest of the film industry don’t have this luxury. In spaces like the Oscars that are so male dominated, it is difficult for women to create their own space. It is also incredibly difficult for non-binary people, as they are sometimes forced to choose a gendered category in order to win an award. Due to these challenges, the best way to remove non-gendered awards in the Oscars without removing space for women and non-binary people is to get those who have the most power, the majority, to make space for them. Creating an industry that is more equal and open is the only way to promote inclusivity without losing out on valuable roles for women and non-binary people.
As mentioned earlier, one of the main arguments for keeping gendered Oscar categories is that it would only make it more difficult for women and non-binary people to get awards. According to Staista, almost all Oscar nominees for non-gendered categories in 2023 were men, including 100% male for visual effects and writing (original screenplay). Some believe that because current non-gendered Oscar categories are majority male, removing gendered categories for acting categories will also cause them to become majority male. This may be true, but only because roles for women in the film industry are so limited. In a book called, “Now A Major Motion Picture”, one of the major characters, Cate Collins is a female director attempting to create a book adaptation of one of her favorite series. The series is incredibly popular, and due to the fact that she is a woman, the production company and the fans tear apart every step of her project. Although the story is fictional it does mirror many of the experiences of women in the industry. Until women are able to create without the burden of harsh stereotypes, removing gendered categories can only do so much. This issue also happens with non-binary actors. There are rarely any roles available for non-binary actors, and those that do make it to Academy Awards aren’t usually nominated or are forced to choose a gendered category. Broadway star Justin David Sullivan ended up opting out of the Tony Awards because they were forced to choose between the male and female Tony categories (Paulson, NY Times). This was not the first occurrence with non-binary actors. According to NPR, actor Asia Kate Dillion was forced to choose between gendered Emmy categories. They were allowed to choose between either category, with no requirements to either. This suggests that the gender separation for each category is arbitrary. If so, removing gendered categories wouldn’t be a large change. If actors are only placed in gendered categories based on their merit rather than their gender, then all actors should be able to compete based on skill. Another commonly used argument is that there wouldn’t be enough awards for the increased number of people per category. A solution would be to increase the number of categories. Instead of having just one category for Best Actor, create two. This would be a simple way to become more inclusive without losing out on space for everyone.
If the Oscars were to remove their gendered categories, many may wonder what the Oscars would look like. Considering the current process of the Oscars, there would need to be a few steps taken to diversify the Oscars. It must all start with the members of the Academy. Most academy members are white males and one can expect that these men tend to choose those that are also white males for each non-gendered category. Creating a more diverse space in the Academy would allow more diverse groups of people to be nominated for awards. Having more diverse nominations would prevent issues with men overpowering all categories. Not only would this allow more people to be credited for their accomplishments, but it would also allow their projects to be more exposed to the world. The Oscars are one of the most important award shows in the world, and winning one is a huge achievement. By including various Oscar nominees and winners, a myriad of movies are able to take the spotlight. More movies like Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once with diverse casts and crew would be able to take the global stage. Women, non-binary people, and people of color would be able to receive more credit for the work they put into impactful movies. Hypothetically, diversifying the Oscars could have results that trickle all the way down to film schools. Considering the male dominated industry, it can be presumed that this issue starts in film schools. The majority of film schools are predominantly male and by diversifying the Oscars and allowing a varied group of people to see themselves as award winners, many more women, non-binary people, and people of color may be encouraged to attend film schools. To people who have been able to see themselves on screen all their lives, they may not see the importance of representation in things like the Academy. Many childhoods are influenced by the movies they watched. To be able to see oneself across all types of media is unfortunately a privilege. Moreover, Young people with a passion for film that don’t have the opportunity to see themselves winning awards for their work may be turned away from pursuing a career in film. Many predominantly male spaces, such as STEM, have begun finding ways to make women feel more included, but this issue is not limited to STEM fields. The film industry is not very easy to break into, and it is even more difficult for minorities. It is hopeful to believe that creating a more inclusive space in the Oscars would have such a substantial impact on this industry, but such hope is needed to create change.
All in all, the Oscars should adopt non-gendered categories because it would be more inclusive to non-binary actors, and it would have actors compete based on merit rather than gender. Movies are some of the best ways to express all types of human emotion. Sometimes they are so bright and joyful they boost people’s mood and change their outlook on life. Sometimes they are so emotional that they comfort people when they need it most. They are incredibly impactful and have inspired many people to create their own stories and universes. Everyone who has a hand in helping create these emotionally impactful movies should have a chance to be celebrated for their achievements, no matter their gender.
Works Cited
“2023.” Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
Paulson, Michael. “Nonbinary Broadway Performer Opts out of Gendered Tony Awards.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2023,
Block, Melissa. “Best Actor or Actress? Gender-Expansive Performers Are Forced to Choose.” NPR, NPR, 14 July 2021,
Published by Statista Research Department, and Mar 13. “Gender Distribution of Oscar Nominees 2023.” Statista, 13 Mar. 2023,
“Alice Guy Blaché.” Alice Guy Blaché – Women Film Pioneers Project
Rose, Steve. “Why Was Pioneering Director Alice Guy-Blaché Erased from History?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Jan. 2020,
Sacks, Ethan. “Who Makes up the Academy? A Breakdown of the Exclusive Oscars Club.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Feb. 2020,
McCarthy, Cori. Now a Major Motion Picture. Sourcebooks Fire, 2018.
Erica Gunderson | March 11, 2023. “Oscars (Still) so White? 2023 Academy Awards Continue to Lack Representation.” WTTW News, 11 Mar. 2023,
Outspoken, The. “Women in Horror - Are Horror Movies Inherently Misogynistic, or Are They Just Misunderstood?” Medium, Medium, 12 June 2015,
Miller, Alyssa. “Girlhood to Monstress: How Women in Horror Have Always Been the Hero and the Villain.” No Film School, No Film School, 31 Aug. 2021,
Ferrier, Aimee. “The First Woman to Win in Each Non-Gendered Oscar Category.” Far Out Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023,
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