[originaltext] In the 74-year history of the Academy Awards, women have been

In the 74-year history of the Academy Awards, women have been nominated for best director exactly twice. Yet the motion picture academy would never consider creating a category for “best directress”.
    Even in fields where there are more women, they tend to fare poorly against men. Of the 146 writers nominated for an Academy Award in the last decade, for example, only 16 have been women. No one favors separate awards for male and female screenwriters.
    And if the idea is to recognize professionals who tend to be ignored in Hollywood, then there ought to be a separate award for black actors. You think women have it hard at Hollywood? Only three black actors have ever won the top award and only 15 have ever been nominated, compared with over 300 white actors.
    The Academy Awards indulge in sexual difference because the Oscars are, first and foremost, about glamour. Actresses are more in the public eye than almost anyone else in Hollywood. No offense to the male actors in their black or white evening dress, but on Oscar night, it’s the women who bring the attraction. Audiences want to see this year’s dresses and hairstyles. Studios want female stars to help them sell tickets.