Prime Video reveals O Womaniya! 2024 Report: Addressing Gender Disparities in Media

Prime Video recently released the newest O Womaniya! report, which delves into the representation of women in Indian entertainment. Collaborating with Ormax Media and Film Companion Studios, Prime Video’s study looks at how gender is portrayed in Indian films and series. They examined 169 titles in nine languages from 2023, across streaming platforms and theaters, and found some interesting gaps.

One of the key takeaways from the report is that there is a noticeable difference between how women are represented in theatrical releases versus streaming content. Streaming platforms are doing better when it comes to showing women on screen. In response to this, they introduced the Gender Equality Toolkit, a unique tool that helps filmmakers assess how well they represent women in their content right from the start.

When it comes to female representation, only 31% of the titles passed the Gender Equality Toolkit test. Streaming series performed better at 45% than theatrical releases. They also used the Bechdel Test, which measures gender bias in storytelling, and found that nearly half of the titles didn’t meet its criteria, highlighting an ongoing imbalance in storytelling.

The report also looked at women in leadership roles behind the scenes. Women only held 15% of key creative positions like direction, cinematography, and production design. However, streaming platforms showed more progress with over 20% of these roles held by women. Female editors were most prevalent, making up 18% of editors for films and series on streaming platforms.

In terms of marketing, women still only get 29% of speaking time in trailers, though this is a slight improvement over previous years. Streaming films tend to feature women more prominently in promotional materials. Some notable titles include Made in Heaven Season 2 (Hindi), Boo (Telugu), Sweet Kaaram Coffee (Tamil), and Taali (Hindi).

Looking at corporate leadership, the report found that only 12% of Director/CXO positions in major media firms were held by women, showing a slight decrease from the previous year. Leading the way, Stuti Ramachandra, Director & Head of Production, International Originals at Prime Video India, emphasized the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the entertainment industry. The findings of this year’s O Womaniya! report call for greater collaboration to bring about positive change in gender representation.