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Photo by REUTERS\/via SNO Sites\/Mario Anzuoni<\/p>\n
Jessie Buckley, winner of the Oscar for Best Actress for \u201cHamnet\u201d, poses in the Oscars photo room at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS\/Mario Anzuoni<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
As International Women\u2019s History Month closes, it is crucial to recognize the recent strides of women in the entertainment industry. Historical barriers in Hollywood have posed challenges for women to rise to fame at the same rate as men.\u00a0However, the female nominees and Oscar recipients made history at the 2026 Oscar Awards.<\/span><\/p>\n Glass ceilings\u00a0<\/span><\/a>are unofficial, systemic barriers preventing women from succeeding after a certain point in their profession. Historically, women working behind the scenes\u00a0<\/span>of films have faced challenges such as financing their projects, staff budgets and discrimination against their male counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n While the number of women in executive positions in film has risen since\u00a0<\/span>1980<\/span><\/a>, they are still vastly outnumbered by men.\u00a0Women only make up\u00a0<\/span>15%<\/span><\/a> of all show creators, with Black, Indigenous\u00a0<\/span>and women of color representing only 11-12.2%. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Onscreen stories have historically\u00a0<\/span>been told from a white male\u2019s perspective, which\u00a0shapes the public\u2019s perception of film immensely. More women in high-level entertainment roles\u00a0leads to\u00a0more female representation on screen, dismantling the stereotypes pushed by male filmmakers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It also encourages other women to pursue their dreams in the entertainment industry by breaking down\u00a0past structural barriers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These progressive steps have proved to be true with the results of this year\u2019s Oscars.<\/p>\n Marquette Alumna Amy Madigan, (Arts \u201872) won<\/a><\/span> her first Oscar at 75 years old, proving it is never too\u00a0late to achieve your dreams. She told <\/span>ABC\u00a0<\/span><\/a>she has been acting since she was 19 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cK-pop Demon Hunters\u201d also had a groundbreaking night. The film\u2019s co-directors Maggie Kang and Michelle Wong became the first women of\u00a0Southeast Asian descent to win <\/span>Best Animated Film<\/span><\/a>, and one of its songs \u2014\u201dGolden\u201d \u2014 sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, became the first K-pop song to win Best Original Song.<\/span><\/p>\n Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to take home an Oscar for <\/span>Best Cinematographer<\/a><\/span> for\u00a0her work\u00a0in \u201c<\/span>Sinners.\u201d She was also the first woman of color to be nominated\u00a0for this award.<\/p>\n \u201cI have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign,\u201d Arkapaw said<\/a><\/span> in her acceptance speech. \u201c<\/span>I feel like moments like this happen because of people like you guys.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Chlo\u00e9 Zhao, an award-winning director from Beijing, her film \u201cHamnet\u201d marked\u00a0its eighth Academy Award nomination. <\/span>Her 2021 Oscar win for \u201cN<\/span>omadland\u201d\u00a0made her the second woman and first woman of color to win the prestigious award.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n