Graduation Year

2025

Date of Submission

12-2024

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Economics

Reader 1

Benjamin Gillen

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

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© 2024 Kelsey L Polhemus

Abstract

In this paper, I examine gender disparities in Hollywood film financing between 1960-2020 using comprehensive regression analysis of production team’s gender composition and budget allocation. Through my analysis of over 5,600 films, I investigate how a production team's gender composition affects access to financial resources, major studio partnerships, and overall financial performance in an industry that significantly influences cultural narratives and social values. Using econometric models, I analyze budget allocation patterns, studio relationships, and revenue generation across different team compositions while controlling for factors such as genre, time period, and studio status. The analysis considers multiple dimensions of film financing, from initial resource allocation to final financial performance, providing insight into both direct and indirect barriers faced by female producers. The findings reveal that female-led productions receive approximately 74.9% lower budgets than all-male production teams, or mixed-gender and they also demonstrate 72.9% lower revenue-to-budget ratios, suggesting that despite growing industry awareness of gender inequality through 2020, fundamental barriers remained in how Hollywood distributed its financial resources. This research contributes to our understanding of gender-based disparities in Hollywood and highlights the need for structural changes in how the industry allocates resources to those in behind-the-scenes roles.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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