Similarly to other means of communication, movies play an essential role in shaping people’s perception of gender relations. Analyzing the way in which classic movies such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Cover Girl (1944) portray male and female roles, one can easily see that back in the 1940s and 1950s, women were primarily depicted as mothers, wives and sisters who were supposed to be gracious, beautiful and caring, whereas men were usually represented as hard-working providers and smart entrepreneurs.
Over the past four decades, women’s rights activists have successfully reshaped people’s views on gender roles, prompting both men and women to see gender equality as a moral and legal right. As a result, in today’s society it is not uncommon for women to work in fields that were once dominated by men, or demand to be treated the same as their male counterparts. Being the entertainment industry a reflection of society, it is no wonder that most movies today portray women as strong and ambitious individuals who don’t have to choose between having a family and building a successful career. Nevertheless, the film industry keeps perpetuating a system of gender roles that needs to be challenged in an explicit manner in order to prevent stereotypical representations of men and women to alter people’s perception of gender relations.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Gender in Movies".
In the last one century, there are impressive developments in the film world, with companies investing in high-quality content. As a result, the industry has witnessed a tremendous growth both in quality and quantity of films produced. Nonetheless, there is still an issue of gender bias as men take up the most roles in films. Although there are many movies starring women today, the number is small when compared to films based on males as the main characters.
A study by Geena Davis institute involving 122 family films that were released between 2006 and 2009 found that only about 30 % of the roles in the movies were women, with men taking 70% of the characters. However, the image of women in films has greatly diversified over the years (Benshoff, 2011). While, in the 1990s, women used to have traditional roles, such as daughters, sisters, and mothers, in recent times, some women have taken on serious roles. For instance, some high-grossing films such as “Wonder Woman” portray women as strong characters and superheroes. In the past, these roles were strictly for males. This change demonstrates that viewership has changed, making it possible accommodate variety. The issue of gender bias addresses both how women feature as weak characters and the number of females on screen.
The recent hit, ‘Hunger Games,’ sparked conversations in Hollywood regarding partiality based on sex after a review of the women performing in the film. Nonetheless, there are some filmmakers, actors, and upcoming talent that challenge the position. In the recently held Sundance Festival, women comprised half of the directors in the event. Despite their large representation, there is still a struggle on the part of women in the film industry. The discussion is one among many proposals aimed at discussing measures to address gender inequality in the movie industry and to increase opportunities for women. The topic of sex in movies brings about the phrase “positive gender representations” as connoted by Common Sense Media, an online company that rates films and recommends them to a specific audience. The term refers to the impact of a movie on kids to think beyond conventional gender roles (Radner, 2012).
The reason why numerous societal groups have developed a special interest in positive gender representations is because early exposure to stereotypical representations of men and women may cause children to believe that a girl’s place is at home as a mother or a wife, whereas boys get to follow their dreams and experience the outside world. Despite today’s women being able to demand careers in medicine, research, and even engineering, we still have a long way to go before reaching a point of equilibrium between sexes (England, 2011). Movies are a form of entertainment for a large number of the populace, and many people adopt philosophies from them. Thus, we can utilize them as a useful tool to win the fight against gender inequality. Subsequently, I would like to learn how different producers and directors determine the plot for a film and the criteria used to assign various characters roles. Perhaps the approaches they follow while creating movies are the ones that deter them from achieving a balance between genders when assigning parts to different characters.
In view of these considerations, I would like to determine whether increasing the roles of women in films would affect the quality of movies produced and, if it does, in what sense. The question is a point of interest since its answer can be the solution to why movies have not yet reached a point where both the roles of men and women are equal. The main aims of a film are to entertain and educate. Do the functions assigned to the various genders affect these objectives? Are there objectives that a male character can deliver that a female actor cannot? Considering the key role that films play a cultivating a culture among viewers, answers to these questions could be the solution to the issue of gender inequality.
Furthermore, the way in which movies portray certain characters displays society’s opinion on those roles. Notably, films have a high capacity to impact children’s perception of life. Since they are tomorrow’s generation, films subsequently affect the future. Currently, the media preserves rigid gender roles and casts, which can have an impact on a child’s self-perception and career preferences. It is important to mentor children to have a broad perspective of life since it is the only way to accommodate innovation and positives shifts in future generations. Therefore, the concern about gender in movies is not a question of today’s generation but the outcome of the forthcoming civic.
Moreover, there are great women in the current generation, who have overcome great odds go on and achieve success in several key areas. If society mentors more girls to follow a similar path, it will benefit from their achievements. In a setup where both men and women are equally productive, the standards of living improve markedly. For instance, in former male-dominated communities, their level of living was lower as compared to now where more females are equally productive as men. As such, the issue of gender should be everyone’s concern as it holds the fate of our future.
Considering the profound impact that the entertainment industry has on people’s perception of female and male roles, it is important that further research be conducted on how today’s movies portray men and women in order to determine whether and to what extent the film industry promotes gender equality. This way, it will be easier to identify effective ways to challenge gender stereotypes that have no place in today’s world.
- Benshoff, H. M. (2011). America on film: Representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies. John Wiley & Sons.
- England, D. E.-M. (2011). Gender role portrayal and the Disney princesses. Sex Roles, 64(7-8), 555-567.
- Radner, H. &. (2012). Feminism at the movies: Understanding gender in contemporary popular cinema. Routledge.
