At the end of Frances McDormand’s speech at the 90th annual Academy Awards, the best actress winner said, “I have two words for you: Inclusion rider.”
So what is it? An inclusion rider is a reference to the belief by some that there should be requirements in contracts that provide for gender and racial diversity.
McDormand’s mention of the rider followed a speech in which she asked every female nominee in the room to stand up, and asked male gatekeepers to ask them about their projects and ideas not just at Oscar afterparties but in meetings following awards season.
Earlier in the ceremony, several other presenters and nominees brought up opportunity for women in Hollywood.
Emma Stone introduced nominees for best director by saying, “these four men and Greta Gerwig.”
While presenting best actress, Jennifer Lawrence thanked Jodie Foster for giving her her one of her first awards at 19.
And when Coco songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez won their award, Anderson-Lopez noted that the category was 50/50 in terms of gender representation.
“When you look at a category like ours, it helps to imagine a world where all the categories look like this one,” she said.
