Is Hollywood's drama bigger than Harvey Weinstein?

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This week, mounting allegations of sexual harassment brought down one of Hollywood’s biggest hit-makers, producer Harvey Weinstein.

The one time super producer has been forced out of the company that bears his name, abandoned by supporters, and left by his wife.

But these recent allegations seem to be only a small fraction of the never-ending drama women face in Hollywood.

That leads to the much bigger issue dominating Hollywood - the under-representation of women in leadership roles - despite women making up more than half of all moviegoers.

Harvey Weinstein poses on the Red Carpet after arriving at the 89th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, U.S., February 26, 2017. Reuters/Mike Blake/File Photo

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, said on Wednesday that it would hold a special meeting Saturday to discuss the allegations against Weinstein.

Could this mean Hollywood is ready for a close up on the plight of women in the entertainment industry?

CGTN Digital‍

Women in Hollywood

According to a study from the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, women are represented in Hollywood disproportionately to their US demographic.

The report released in July said women remain vastly under-represented when it comes to both speaking roles and lead or co-leading parts in films.

Of the 4,583 speaking characters analyzed from 2016's top 100 films, 31.4% were female, a number that has basically remained the same since 2007.

Also, only 34 of the films depicted a female lead or co-lead - and only three of those were from underrepresented groups.

Actor Judi Dench at the 74th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, September 3, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

"We can't just talk about females in film anymore. What our data shows most powerfully this year over any other year is the real epidemic of inter-sectional invisibility in film," Stacy L. Smith, a USC professor, and the study's lead author told the Associated Press.

"If you cross gender with race and ethnicity, you see that the bottom really drops out for females of color on the screen."

In terms of race and ethnicity, the landscape remains largely white. Of the speaking characters surveyed 70.8% were white; 13.6% black; 5.7% Asian; 3.1% Hispanic; and less than 1% Native American, Native Alaskan or Native Hawaiian.

According to the latest US Census, the nation is 61.3% white, 17.8% Hispanic, 13.3% black, 5.7% Asian, 1.3% Native American and Native Alaskan and 0.2% Native Hawaiian.

More striking still is the film by film "invisibility" breakdown, which finds that 25 of the 100 films did not feature a single black character in a speaking role; 54 films had no Hispanic characters (14 more than in 2015); 44 had no Asian characters (a rare improvement from 2015, which tallied 49 films with zero Asians).

Behind the scenes, things continue to be dismal for female directors.

In 2016 there were only five female directors out of 120 (including co-directors).

Next chapter?

Every year films such as “Wonder Woman” and “Girls Trip” hit cinemas, proving the vital role women play in Hollywood despite them repeatedly being undervalued.

89th Academy Awards - Oscars Vanity Fair Party - Beverly Hills, California, U.S. - 26/02/17 Producer Harvey Weinstein and his wife, fashion designer Georgina Chapman. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

The British film academy, BAFTA, suspended Weinstein Wednesday and released a stern message.

“We hope this announcement sends a clear message that such behavior has absolutely no place in our industry,” the statement read.

Now whether or not Hollywood makes the same declaration remains...to be continued.