LOS ANGELES — News flash: Hollywood is still disproportionately white and male. But a new USC study shows that while the Academy Awards remain stubbornly resistant to change in many categories, gains in inclusivity have been made in the wake of #OscarsSoWhite.
The study released Wednesday by USC Annenberg's Inclusion Initiative found that nominations among underrepresented racial or ethnic groups and women increased after 2015, when activist April Reign created the viral hashtag.
Looking at the eight years before and after #OscarsSoWhite, the USC study found that 8% of nominees between 2008 and 2015 were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. In the post-#OscarsSoWhite era between 2016 and 2023, that number increased to 17%.
