Are We All Here?: Streaming Service Business Models and Intersectional Feminist Representation in Media

Abstract

The progression of technology in media has gone hand in hand with the expansion of representation of racial, gender and sexual diversity on screen.This is directly correlated to streaming service models which generate opportunities for creative off-screen jobs, such as writers, directors, and network heads, to be employed by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community. Using empirical and documentary analysis, this paper examines the inequality of female representation on screen compared to male representation and the impacts of the missing members of society in the media. It explores these impacts through the lens of intersectional feminism and further examines how streaming services have allowed for progress in female representation on screen.