We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: representation matters. A major reason — if not the major reason — “Wonder Woman” and “Hidden Figures” are modern cultural touchstones is their depiction of complex, empowered women. In turn, those films tell the girls and young women in their audience that they too can be leaders and heroes in their own right.
A new study from BBC America and Women’s Media Center (WMC) confirms as much. Conducted as part of the orgs’ mission to boost representation of women and diversity on-screen, “Superpowering Girls: Female Representation in the Sci-Fi/Superhero Genre” underlines the gender disparity in confidence and opportunity — and reports on the positive impact superheroines and female sci-fi leads can have on girls in the real world.
“Superpowering Girls'” sample features a 50-50 gender split and is representative of the U.S. Census Bureau’s ethnic and regional data for 5-19-year-olds. The report concludes teen girls are much less likely to describe themselves as confident, brave, or heard than their male counterparts. “These challenges are even more pronounced for girls of color, who are significantly less likely than their Caucasian counterparts to feel listened to when they speak,” the study notes. One-third of teens agree that girls have fewer leadership opportunities compared to boys.
The research also looked into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) gap between young women and men. Fifty-seven percent of the teen boys featured in the study are interested in a STEM career, as compared to 34 percent of teen girls. This disparity can carry over to STEM careers: “For instance, only 20 percent of tech executives are women — 80 percent of tech executives are men.”
Finally, “Superpowering Girls” looks into who inspires girls and boys. Thirty-six percent of boys name male sci-fi/superheroes as role models, while just 18 percent of girls name female sci-fi/superheroes. (The fact that male superheroes dominate media probably doesn’t help.) Yet girls are much more apt to be inspired and motivated by sci-fi leaders and superheroes who are like/look like them than boys. Nine in 10 girls call sci-fi/superheroes positive role models. Fifty-eight percent of girls agree that women sci-fi/superheroes “make them feel like they can achieve anything they put their mind to,” while 45 percent of boys share that same sentiment about male sci-fi/superheroes. Women heroes also made the majority of girls feel strong (84 percent), brave (81 percent), confident (80 percent), inspired (77 percent), positive (75 percent), and motivated (74 percent).
Women superheroes and sci-fi leads have an even more pronounced impact on girls of color: 63 percent referenced “the empowering effects of female superheroes,” an 11-point difference from white girls (52 percent).
“As a little girl, Wonder Woman was the only female superhero, so she was irresistible,” WMC co-founder Gloria Steinem said. “She was literally the only game in town, the only hero that made you feel good about yourself.” The iconic character still has the power to make girls feel confident and strong — and is still, unfortunately, one of the few female superheroes to grace our screens. However, as Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Silk, Faith, and other powerful superheroines get their own films, and as a woman finally takes the lead on “Doctor Who,” perhaps they will inspire even more girls — and help them realize and fulfill their dreams.
“If you can’t see her, you can’t be her,” said BBC America President Sarah Barnett. “It’s time to expand what gets seen, and we hope this report will contribute to sparking change in the stories we see on screen. With greater representation of female heroes in the sci-fi and superhero genre, we can help superpower the next generation of women.”
You can read the full study here. Check out an infographic of its findings below, courtesy of WMC.
