Although the actors branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences sounds like it should be the most diverse part of the Academy, that’s not the case, according to a New York Times study released on Feb. 5.
The NY Times found that around 87 percent of the Academy’s largest branch are white. Two-thirds of the branch are over 60 years old and 58 percent are men.
The branch has over 1,100 members and a spokeswoman confirmed to the Times that its numbers were right. Just 6 percent of the actors are black, less than 4 percent are Hispanic and less than 2 percent are Asian. Around 42 percent of the actors are women.
In February 2012, The Los Angeles Times did a study of the entire Academy, which had over 5,700 voting members (there are now over 6,000 members). At the time, The LA Times found that 94 percent of all Academy voters are white.
Both of these studies prove that the Academy’s changes will not instantly change the make-up of the Academy. Yes, making sure that voters are somewhat active in the film industry will help get the Academy younger, but it will only make it more diverse if more the business itself becomes more diverse.
Part of the Academy’s changes is to double the number of diverse members by 2020.
The NY Times figures that the Academy will need to add 14 black actors and nine Asian or Hispanic actors through the next five years in order to double their representation in the actors branch. If the Academy only invites 25 actors each year - the same number of invitees last year - then, nearly all of them need to be minorities in order for it to reach its goal.
The 88th Academy Awards are on Feb. 28. The Academy rushed to make some changes after it failed to nominate any minority actors for the second consecutive year.