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Netflix's latest diversity numbers: Women now represent over half of its global workforce

2021 inclusion data reveals women now account for over 50% of Netflix's global staff.

Netflix corporate office

Netflix released its latest diversity and inclusion data.

Photo: Venti Views/Unsplash

Women now make up over half of Netflix’s global workforce. The entertainment company released its 2021 inclusion report on Thursday, revealing the latest data on internal diversity and representation at the entertainment company.

The data showed growth in gender and race overall, but some divisions within the company have proven to grow at much slower rates than others. Overall, women now make up 51.7% of Netflix’s global workforce, up from 48.7% in 2020. But in technical roles, women account for a smaller share: In 2021, 37% of Netflix's workers in those roles were women.

The percentage of Black Netflix employees in the U.S. also saw a slight increase to 10.7%, from 8.6% in 2020. As a whole, U.S. employees from marginalized racial backgrounds now account for 50.5% of Netflix's U.S. workforce, up from 46.8% in 2020.

Among Netflix’s 22 senior leaders at the VP level and above, 45% are women and 22.7% come from historically excluded ethnic or racial backgrounds. Black leadership at the director level and above increased to 13.3%, from 10.9% in 2020. U.S. Hispanic or Latinx leadership at the director level and above grew at a much smaller increment in 2021, from 4.3% to 4.4%.

Netflix was one of the first tech companies to begin publicly publishing its diversity data in 2013. (Most tech companies began releasing diversity reports in 2014.) In the years since, many companies have made progress, but some have backtracked in certain areas, according to Protocol’s Diversity Tracker.

In comparison to Netflix’s most recent numbers, some tech companies still have a ways to go in terms of reaching gender parity. Women still represent only 44.7% of Twitter’s global workforce, and just 29.7% of Microsoft's. Representation is frequently lower among leadership: At Google, women make up only 28.1% of leadership.

Despite growing representation, recent events at Netflix have prompted some employees to question its dedication to fostering an environment of inclusion and intersectionality. The company’s decision in 2021 to release a controversial comedy special by Dave Chapelle, which included transphobic material, sparked an employee walkout. The company also later fired an employee who allegedly leaked financial information about the special, raising questions about the company's internal morale.

Amber Burton

Amber Burton (@amberbburton) is a former reporter at Protocol. Previously, she covered personal finance and diversity in business at The Wall Street Journal. She earned an M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University and B.A. in English and Journalism from Wake Forest University. She lives in North Carolina.

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