The O Womaniya! 2024 Report is here, and it’s packed with insights about how women are represented in Indian entertainment. Released by Prime Video in collaboration with Ormax Media and Film Companion Studios, this fourth edition dives deep into 169 Indian films and series from 2023 across nine languages. It’s a candid look at what’s changing—and what still needs a serious push—when it comes to gender equity in our content.

The O Womaniya! Toolkit

One of the important things about this year’s report is the O Womaniya! Toolkit. It’s a practical framework designed to measure female representation in content and help creators weed out biases early on. Here’s what the toolkit looks at:

-Are there named female characters with active, independent roles?

-Do female characters make key decisions about the economy, home, or community?

-Do female protagonists express conflicting viewpoints that drive the plot?

-Does the content steer clear of normalizing sexualization or violence against women?

Streaming platforms are clearly leading the charge here, outperforming theatrical releases by a mile. The findings reveal a pressing need for industry-wide adoption of this toolkit to bridge the gender representation gap.

Key Findings: What’s Working and What’s Not

The report paints a mixed picture of progress and persistent challenges

1. Representation in Content

Only 31% of the titles analyzed passed the O Womaniya! Toolkit. Streaming series led the way with 45% passing, streaming films followed at 31%, and theatrical films came in last at just 18%. Even with the Bechdel Test, almost half of the titles didn’t make the cut, showing that there’s still a lot of work to do.

2. Representation in Marketing

Women spoke only 29% of the time in trailers, a glaring gap that underscores the lack of emphasis on female-led narratives in promotions.

3. Behind-the-Scenes Inclusion

Only 15% of Head of Department (HOD) roles like direction, editing, and cinematography are held by women. Streaming content is doing slightly better at over 20%, but theatrical films lag way behind at 6%.

4. Corporate Leadership

Women hold just 12% of Director/CXO positions in 25 major Media & Entertainment companies. These numbers point to a deeply entrenched gender imbalance at the highest levels of decision-making.

Roundtable Talk: Tackling the Tough Questions

To spark more conversations, Film Companion hosted a lively roundtable moderated by Anupama Chopra. Featuring names like Ananya Panday, Richa Chadha, Shakun Batra, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Ishita Moitra, and Stuti Ramachandra, the discussion shed light on systemic challenges and actionable solutions.