Women made modest gains in behind-the-scenes categories for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. However, men still account for nearly two-thirds of all non-acting nominees, according to a new report from the Women’s Media Center.
The organization’s 2026 Report: Gender & Non-Acting Emmy Nominations found that women represent 35% of nominees across 102 non-acting categories, matching a previous record high.
Of 2,635 nominees, 918 are women, 1,714 are men, and three are nonbinary.
That marks a slight improvement from last year, when women accounted for 33% of non-acting nominees and men represented 67%.
“While the increase in nominations is encouraging, the Primetime Emmys continue to be a male-majority club where men receive the largest share of the nominations and, ultimately, the awards,” said Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center.
Burton noted that women have never exceeded 35% of nominees across the categories studied.
The numbers improve somewhat when focusing on four of television’s most influential creative fields: producing, directing, writing and editing.
Among 1,412 nominees across those categories, 511 — or 36% — are women, compared with 32% last year.
The shift represents a longer-term gain. In 2016, women accounted for just 25% of nominees across those same four fields.
“In 2026, women’s representation increased by 4 percentage points in the combined fields of producing, directing, writing and editing,” Burton noted. “This percentage — 36% — is a decade milestone for women.”
But the gains remain uneven.
Six Emmy categories have no women nominated, though that figure is down significantly from 13 categories last year.
Cinematography remains the field where women are most frequently shut out.
“There’s an abundance of talented, creative women who are producing outstanding television programming yet too often are overlooked for this prestigious award,” said Women’s Media Center co-founder Jane Fonda. “Their artistry and excellence in everything from directing to costume design deserve high professional recognition.”
Producing shows the strongest gains
Producing remains the strongest of the four major creative fields for female representation.
Of 1,012 producing nominees, 409 — or 40% — are women, up from 37% last year.
The Outstanding Drama Series category saw a particularly notable jump. Women make up 39% of nominees this year, compared with 29% in 2025.
The increase is even larger in Outstanding Comedy Series, where women represent 46% of producing nominees, up from just 30% last year.
Directing remains heavily male
Directing continues to show one of the widest gaps.
Of 112 directing nominees, just 20 — 18% — are women, while 92, or 82%, are men.
That is a slight increase from 2025, when women made up 15% of nominees, but the category remains far from parity.
Men outnumber women in nearly every directing category. Women hold the majority only in Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series. At the same time, gender parity exists in Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.
The report also found a sharp decline in female representation in Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Writing sees little movement
Women account for 32% of writing nominees, compared with 31% last year.
Among 117 nominees, 37 are women, 79 are men, and one is nonbinary.
Men outnumber women in every writing category except Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, which reached gender parity.
The most significant decline occurred in Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, where women represent just 17% of nominees.
Last year, the category was evenly split.
Editing inches forward
Women also remain underrepresented in editing.
Of 171 editing nominees, 45 — 26% — are women, compared with 23% last year.
Men outnumber women in every editing category except Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series, both of which reached gender parity.
Inclusion remains uneven
The report also examined representation among women of color and LGBTQ creatives.
Black women reached a milestone in Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, receiving half of the category’s six nominations.
Salli Richardson-Whitfield earned three Emmy nominations this year: as an executive producer on HBO’s The Gilded Age and as a director for both The Gilded Age and Task.
Quinta Brunson, creator and showrunner of Abbott Elementary, also remains one of the relatively few Black female showrunners earning nominations across multiple major categories.
Among Latina nominees, the report highlighted Selena Gomez, an executive producer on Only Murders in the Building, and Desiree Perez, an executive producer on The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny.
Asian American women cited in the report include Kristen Kish, Doneen Arquines, and Tracy Tong of Top Chef; Mandy Salangsang of RuPaul’s Drag Race; Claudia Shin of Widow’s Bay; and Ali Wong of Beef.
The report also notes that LGBTQ representation among Emmy nominees remains dominated by shows led by and starring men.
And among major non-acting Emmy categories, no women showrunners over 60 were nominated.
REELated:
Mariska Hargitay wins two Emmys, pays tribute to Gloria Steinem
‘Hacks’ remains an exception
Among the eight shows receiving the most Emmy nominations this year, HBO Max’s Hacks is the only series centered on women and led by women showrunners.
The show recently completed its fifth and final season.
“A show like Hacks, with women showrunners and focusing on women’s stories, is a model of how equity and excellence are a winning combination,” Burton said. “Now that Hacks has completed its run, we need to see more shows like this.”
The report paints a picture of an industry that is moving — but slowly. Women have reached a decade high across producing, directing, writing and editing.
They have matched a record overall.
And yet, in 2026, men still hold 65% of non-acting Emmy nominations.
Progress is measurable.
Parity remains a long way off. You can download the full report here.
