With the 2018 Emmys just around the corner, conversations have been percolating around representation on television. On Saturday, for example, four black actors swept the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Guest Star in a historic first, signaling that change might finally be on the way.
But a new study from the San Diego State’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film reminds us that there’s more work to be done. The twenty-first annual Boxed In report found mixed gains when it comes to female representation and diversity on television. In particular, the study noted that Latina actresses are now in 7 percent of speaking roles on television—a record that, despite being an all-time high and up from 2016’s 5 percent, is depressing in the grand scheme of things.
The numbers are baffling when put into context: As The Hollywood Reporter notes, one in five American women identify as Latina, yet there’s still a huge disparity between how many Latinas are actually portrayed onscreen. That 7 percent also reflects only speaking roles for female characters; when Latina actresses are counted up among all roles running the gamut of cable, broadcast, and streaming network programming, they represent just 2.8 of roughly 4,833 characters.
Progress is slow but, hopefully, incremental as new shows have broadened the scope of what we see on TV. Gina Rodriguez has started an important dialogue about Latinx representation since starring as the lead on The CW’s breakout Jane the Virgin. “From European Latinos to Afro-Latinos, we come in all shapes and sizes and colors and backgrounds and political expressions, and I think it’s important for us to express and explore the complexities of the Latino demographic, because we are loyal consumers, and we deserve the same respect we give to all these industries,” she said at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
PHOTO: Adam Rose/Netflix
Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno, and Marcel Ruiz on Netflix’s One Day at a Time
Meanwhile, on Netflix, One Day at a Time has brought nuanced Latinx stories into the spotlight with a cast that includes trailblazer Rita Moreno, the first Latina to win an EGOT. Starz has also expanded portrayals of Latinas with Vida from showrunner Tanya Saracho.
And there are more on the horizon: The Charmed reboot includes Latinx characters, and Rodriguez’s castmate and Orange Is the New Black veteran Diane Guerrero has reportedly been working on a show about her own experiences with immigration.
PHOTO: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Melonie Diaz stars in the CW Charmed reboot.
While the data on Latina representation is at the very least a minuscule improvement, The Boxed In report revealed other disheartening declines for women in entertainment. The percentage of women both behind and in front of the camera dipped slightly, going from 42 percent to 40 percent for female speaking characters and from 28 to 27 percent for female creators, writers, directors, executive producers, producers, editors, and directors of photography.
In short, it’s a reminder that more narratives, faces, and experiences are needed across the board in Hollywood.
