Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Women are significantly underrepresented in above-the-line roles in film and television, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are gravitating to web series. To explore this, the authors built the largest known international archive of web series released during 2012–2019 and analysed women’s participation. In the top five web series producing countries in the West, women achieved or approached parity with men in producing, directing and writing, but not cinematography. Do achievements in low-budget, transitory media count for anything? Drawing on ephemeral media scholarship, we discuss the potential of such forms to disturb entrenched patterns of gender discrimination in screen industries worldwide.
Keywords
above-the-line roles, ephemeral media, gender, web series
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
8-1-2026
E-ISSN
17427673
ISSN
17427665
Volume
22
Issue
2
Publication Title
Global Media and Communication
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
100020
Funding received from the Australian Research Council (ARC)
LP180100626
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
First Page
195
Last Page
216
Recommended Citation
Evans, N., McCutcheon, M., King, E., Bassaget, J., & Ellingsen, S. (2026). Ephemeral to empowered? International comparison of women’s participation in web series production, 2012–2019. Global Media and Communication, 22(2), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/17427665261459265