
Still more men than women in family films
Only 37.8% of all characters in family films are women, according to an analysis of 82 films released last year by Geena Davis institute on gender in media. And Just 35.3% of leads are female characters.
Female characters are almost five times more likely than male characters to be objectified (3.3% compared with 0.7%), and three times more likely to be wearing sexually revealing clothing (7.4% compared with 2.5%).
A more positive result is that close to 3 in 4 films pass a test with three criteria: 1) at least two named female characters 2) who talk to each other 3) about something other than a man.
“Most of our findings show that representations of female, nonwhite, disabled, fat LGBTQIA+, and 50-plus identities in popular films still fall short when compared their demographic shares in the US population. It is important to develop and produce films with a higher proportion of characters from marginalised groups, especially in leading and supporting roles” the institute says in a report.
“Encourage behind-the-scenes representation. Behind-the-scenes representation is essential to creating authentic and compelling characters.”
“Encourage the development of a diverse workplace to reflect the stories that are being told on screen by creating mentorship programs and funding opportunities for marginalised groups.”
Other key findings:
- White characters make up 59.5% of all characters, while characters of colour make up 40.5%. Black characters make up 20.5% of all characters, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander characters, who make up 11.6%, and Latinx characters, who make up 5.8%.
- Of female leads, 64.5% are white and 35.5% are people of colour.
- Among films with a budget over $100 million, 40.7% of leads are people of colour.
- LGBTQIA+ characters are nearly invisible in films analysed. Only 1.5% of characters in the films are LGBTQIA+. LGBTQIA+ people make up 7.6% of the US population.
- Only 6.5% of characters in films from 2023 are fat.
- Just 2.0% of leads are fat.
- 18.7% of characters in films from 2023 are 50-plus.
- 15.8% of leads are 50-plus.
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