The first research I conducted led me to a website called "Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film" that had a report from 2016 of female-roles in the top 100 movies released that year. The report showed that 29% of women were in a leading role (the protagonist in the movie), which was 7 percentage points more than 2015, as well as a historical high. C'mon, 29% isn't a whole lot, and even though it was an increase, this is my whole point. It's still a low percentage, even though it seems like it's getting better. On TV, 41% of women were protagonists (very close to half!), but the kicker here is that 71% were Caucasian, only 17% were black, and it just gets worse from there (women in television). That's another issue though that I hope to cover in the future.
To make matters worse, the roles that these females are playing in films seem to be imitating reality, and unfortunately so. A study done about movies from 2010-May of 2013 showed females held 13.9% of senior executive positions (the highest level of management of a company or organization). Women were instead over represented in jobs such as being a teacher or waitressing, and very underrepresented in roles such as doctors, lawyers, and engineers. In real life, 24% of senior business roles are held by women globally (forbes.com). Barely a fourth., but double what the movies show. This tells little girls that women aren't "supposed" to be in these roles, or that they aren't competent enough and instead should have more "feminine" jobs (which in return have less pay).
Speaking of pay, that's another issue I want to speak on. Women in America (who aren't actors) are only paid 80 cents for every dollar that's paid to men (even in the same working positions). There are Equal Pay Laws, but they haven't been touched since they were created a little over 50 years ago. The wage gap between men and women can mean a $10,000 loss in earning per year for women (nwlc.org). In Hollywood and in the film industry, the pay gap is even larger. Last year, Jennifer Lawrence spoke out about this when she asked why her male counterparts were paid more than her and Amy Adams in American Hustle. Jennifer Lawrence is a popular celebrity, up among the highest of them, so why isn't she getting paid the same as her male co-stars? What does that say about how this culture values women's work? Here's a quote from time.com that puts it more into perspective:
"[Robert] Downey [Jr.] was reportedly paid $40 million for the latest installment of The Avengers, while Lawrence brought home $15 million total for the third and fourth installments of The Hunger Games, or about $7.5 million a pop. So far both franchises have earned more than $2.9 billion worldwide. And Lawrence is the undisputed star of her films, whereas Downey shares the screen with five other leads."
So when will this unequal pay and unequal viewing of men being better than women in general end? it's driving me insane! I just want to feel like I'm as good as the man standing next to me when we're doing the same job and outputting the same amount of energy and time. I feel like I will have to fight as a women in the workplace if I'm not a teacher or a waitress, or work in an office. The laws for equal pay need to be reviewed and strengthened, and laws in the workplace regarding talking about pay also need to change. We are slowly but surely getting there, and we can't stop fighting to be seen in the same eyes as men are. We're just as good, and deserve recognition for our hard work too.
***PS: The movie "Flashdance" (1983) features a strong female lead that is a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night, trying to make her way into a ballet school. She is perceived as an independent, strong woman.
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| Jennifer Beals starring in "Flashdance" |
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