Tina Fey, who New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) honored at its 2005 Muse Awards, is in the news again. This time it’s not a brand-new project or further mention of her nonexistent sequel to Hocus Pocus. Instead, Fey has had a grading scale named after her: the Fey-Seagal Scale. Producer and writer Stephen Follows recently released a study, “Gender Within Film Crews,” which examines the gender divide in the top 2,000 grossing films of the last 20 years (1994-2013).
The statistics are not shocking to those who are well versed in what’s happening behind the scenes in the industry. When Follows looked at all crew members on those 2,000 films, he found that only 22.6% were women. If you’ve worked in film or television in any capacity you’ve seen firsthand the skewed ratios. Still, what’s particularly disappointing is that there has not been a large jump in the percentage of women on film crews from 1994 until today. If anything, the percentage of women working behind the scenes has shrunk. According to Follows’ data, in 1994, the overall percentage of female crew members was 22.7%. In 2013, it decreased to 21.8%. In other words, on most studio films only about one out of every five crew members is a woman.
To further the depressing news, the percentage of women hired to be writers, producers, editors, animators, and directors has decreased over the last twenty years. The only fields that have seen growth have been roles within the makeup, art, and costume departments. But where does Fey come in? As part of his study Follows looked at how many women were involved behind the scenes for each film. He found that although the average hovered around the 22% range, there was a large continuum. On one end was Fey, whose crew for Mean Girls was 42% female. On the other end was Steven Seagal, with an On Deadly Ground crew that was only 10% female. Hence the moniker the Fey-Seagal Scale.
It’s great that Fey is in the news again, but wouldn’t it be even better if the percentage of female crew members that she hires wasn’t news at all? At NYWIFT, a key part of our mission revolves around the promotion and better inclusion of women in all aspects of the industry. You can find additional statistics on Follows’ blog, with an option to sign up to receive the full report.
— EMMA THOMAS
Thomas is the Development Assistant at New York Women in Film & Television.
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Natalie Mahoney
Welcome to NYWIFT, Natalie Mahoney! Natalie is an award-winning photographer, writer, and filmmaker from New York. She received her B.A in TV/Film from DeSales University ’24 and recently received her M.F.A in Film Production from the City College of New York. Natalie has experience in both filmmaking and as an educator with a passion for assisting young creatives conceive, construct, and produce their own projects. Natalie wants to be able to inspire and encourage others with her work, and watch others tell their own stories through the many mediums of the arts!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Bella Rieth
Bella Rieth is a first-generation Brazilian-German, NYC-based director and producer, and a graduate of the School of Visual Arts who also studied at the Atlantic Acting School Conservatory. Before film, she trained at the New England Conservatory and performed in theatre internationally, building a life of storytelling that eventually pulled her behind the camera. Her recent shorts, including Lottie, Poor Creature, Ebba, and Icaro, have played at festivals from Tokyo to Santa Cruz to Florence. Alongside her own films, Bella produces and field produces across narrative, commercial, music video, and documentary projects throughout New York and beyond.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Eve Rouverol
Welcome to NYWIFT, Eve Rouverol! Eve came to filmmaking after a career as a newspaper reporter, commercial writer, and teacher of students with disabilities. After her children left for college (she is a single, widowed mother), she was able to return to college to pursue her first love, film. In addition to writing/directing student narrative and documentary shorts at CA College of the Arts and Emerson, Eve wrote, produced and directed the 35-minute film The Muse starring her actor daughter Madeline Rouverol. The film was nominated for Best Student Director at New Bedford Film Festival in 2023. Her screenplays Writer's Block and Lolita Redux have been shortlisted by BlueCat and Scriptapalooza. Writer's Block was selected for participation in the 2026 Stowe Narrative Labs. Lolita Redux was a semifinalist for Stowe Labs’ Writers’ Retreat Fellowship.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Maria Eleni Zollo
Welcome to NYWIFT, Maria Eleni Zollo! Maria is a writer, actor, director, and musician based in Astoria, Queens. As a singer, she has performed at the Norwegian National Opera House in Oslo, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and on Saturday Night Live. She works as an adjunct professor at CUNY Baruch, and as a Greek Orthodox Church chanter at St George in Hell's Kitchen and St Nicholas National Shrine at the World Trade Center. Maria Eleni also performs as a stand-up comedian in NYC. Her first short film was a semifinalist in Stage 32's 8th Annual Short Film Festival.
READ MORE
