Women’s History Month in the entertainment industry. Photo courtesy of Mirko Fabian from Pexels.
Women are turning the largest stages in entertainment—from the Grammy Awards to the Academy Awards—into venues for growth and power.
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By Jaide Edwards
TAMPA, Fla. — Red carpets and speeches abound throughout awards season, but beyond the beauty is a deeper evolution: women are addressing past injustices in music and film, and altering entertainment’s biggest events. The story of the business is changing — from the Academy Awards to the Grammy Awards to the BET Awards — and highlighting events like the Glitz & Girlpower Awards.
However, the data indicate that these triumphs have not come easily.
In the Oscars’ inclusion list, it’s revealed that, historically, only 17.6% of Academy Award nominees since 1929 were women. Merle Oberon was the first woman of color nominated in 1936. According to the Oscars, “There were a total of 1,369 individual women nominees over the last 97 years, compared to 5,045 individual men.” Therefore, women were more likely to get a single nomination than men. The fact that women have only received a few nominations and three wins in the elite Best Director category since the Oscars’ inception serves as a sobering reminder that the most influential creative roles in film have historically been filled by men. Out of the three women who have won the award, one of them was Chloe Zhao, a woman of color.
For Best Documentary Feature, 28% of women received nominations. No women were nominated for that category for 28 years. According to Oscars, “The first woman was nominated in 1949 (Janice Loeb, The Quiet One) with the first win in 1956 (Nancy Hamilton, The Unconquered).” Women secured 30 Oscars to men’s 110, meaning only 21% of those award winners were women. In 1982, Teté Vasconcellos became the first woman of color to be nominated, and in 1995, Frida Lee Mock became the first woman of color to win. The Oscar for Best Documentary Feature has been won by four women of color: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (2019), Audrey Marrs (2011), Zana Briski (2005), and Frida Lee Mock (1995).
In music, the story is just as fascinating. While headlines may highlight prominent female winners at recent Grammy Awards, the statistics show otherwise. Women made up only 20% of the nominations and awards across all categories between 2017 and 2024. According to Mixmag, specifically the Grammys, women made up 28% of nominees, while men accounted for roughly 69% of nomination slots.
Even though women’s wins increased from 12% in 2017 to 32% in 2024, the fact remains that men dominated last year’s Grammys, with every three out of four nominees and more than two out of three winners being men. With the terms “dominate” and “rule” appearing in about 25% of female and Grammy-related headlines in 2024, the media perpetuates a “who run the world? Girls” mentality that inaccurately suggests women are winning the awards.
According to Mixmag, Luba Kassova said, “Going forward, I would love reporting on this issue to fully align with reality,” in response to the findings.
She wants it to disclose in its news releases the representation of women’s nominations and wins within all categories for gender research.
The full report from AKAS is here.
These figures frame triumphant moments rather than erasing them. Women’s high-profile Grammy and Oscar victories are significant because they take place in a system that frequently favors male nominations and winners.
These figures especially hold significance for the University of Tampa film students who are ready to enter the field.
Echo Prescott, a junior film and media arts major, expressed that one woman who influenced the way she tells stories and directs is Natasha Lyonne, an American actress, director, producer, writer, and comedian known for her raspy voice and offbeat charisma.
“In an interview, she talks a lot about the fact that women should be directing more, and that they don’t really need to downsize themselves to directing ‘girly’ films. Like a woman could obviously direct Rambo,” said Prescott.
Seeing women go beyond stereotypes reveals to her that anyone can tell compelling stories, and that talent, not appearance, is the key to success.
For Prescott, Women’s History Month is an opportunity. She sees it as having a spotlight to shine. She’s currently preparing to make a film through UTampa.
“It’s like my time to shine, especially when people kind of like to have an eye on women to see what they’re doing,” said Prescott.
Women directors and creators continue to claim historic victories and visibility, despite persistent inequalities. Award-winning films by Ava DuVernay have highlighted marginalized voices, and women like Shonda Rhimes have established significant careers that defy Hollywood’s institutional constraints.
Similar intricacy may be seen in the Grammy Awards, a celebration that is closely linked to pop culture and youth. The overall prize landscape reveals a story of underrepresentation, even though breakthrough victories by female artists in flagship categories can generate significant news cycles. Despite the fact that female musicians are taking center stage and pushing the boundaries of their genres, less than one in five Grammy candidates and winners over the last eight years were female in previous award seasons.
Award shows also serve as case studies in visibility, power, and perception for communication students at UTampa.
Gianna Spadafora, a junior communication and media studies major, gave her perspective on how she feels women in entertainment manage their public image.
“They could definitely be a lot more about it, a lot more authentic and relatable. I feel like there are a lot of women in the industry. [They] definitely tried to be a role model and relatable to younger women, especially to create an image that it’s ok to not be perfect all the time,” said Spadafora.
She highlighted Hailey Bieber and Taylor Swift as examples of women who have successfully transformed their personal style and image into strong, commercially viable ventures.
Women are transforming award stages into venues for change and ownership rather than just a celebration, from the BET Awards to the Glitz & Girlpower Awards.
While Women’s History Month celebrates advancements, it also emphasizes how much more has to be done. The women who write the narrative, guide the vision, and control the microphone now hold the true power, even though the spotlight may shine brightly.