Some bad news from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
They released a new study: Gender Disparity On Screen and Behind the Camera in Family Films, done by Stacy L. Smith, PhD and Marc Choueiti, at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism which updates their earlier work. The study looked at gender disparity issues in the top 122 grossing domestic family films rated G, PG and PG-13 from 2006-2009.
Here’s what the study found since their last study: zero progress.
There were 5,554 speaking characters studied: 71% were male, 29% female.
That’s 2.42 male characters for every 1 female character.
And the female characters are also more sexualized.
Here’s what Executive Director Madeline Di Nonno said about the research:
Gender issues need to be top-of-mind for children’s content creators. Media has gotten a bit better about how race is portrayed in film and TV, but the needle hasn’t moved at all for the biggest section of our population: females. We envision a world where boys and girls share the sandbox equally.
The good news is that when there is a female writer on the film there are more female characters. “Films with one or more female screenwriters depict 10% more girls and women on screen than do those films with all male screenwriters.” That is consistent with all other research. When you hire women, they create more female content. It’s not rocket science. It’s not women only create female characters, but they seem to be more open to it.
There is so much work to do.
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
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Damn. Thank you for researching and reporting this. Yup, there is so much work to do… especially when you factor in all the genderqueer people who, in less than two decades, are going to be in their 40s. They’re gonna wanna see themselves onstage and on the screen as well. Oh, if only we could forge some sort of Women’s Rights/Trans Rights coalition. Thanks again. Kate
Interesting, but 3 years is but a blink of an eye for any mass social change to happen to any industry (and especially one that is probably the most sexist and homophobic in the world.)
I feel that I must say this again: Interesting article. I agree that there is so much we need to do, but a lot of that involves changing where the power is, not just in Hoolywood, but everywhere. Unfortunately, none of the power systems are small enough anymore that anyone can make any real change. I say this not to be defeatist, but to encourage people to help dismantle the corrupt systems that keep us all, regardless of gender, race, orientation, or religion; oppressed and controlled.
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