Gender Inequality: Hollywood

The "other USC," the University of Southern California, released data from a study on gender inequality in Hollywood. The study surveyed the top 100-grossing movies of 2009 and found that percentages of speaking characters were identical to those of the top-grossing movies of 2008.

Out of 4,342 speaking characters 32.8% were female and 67.2% were male.

Associate professor Stacy L. Smith is quoted in the LA Times, "We see remarkably stable trends. This reveals an industry formula for gender that may be outside of people's conscious awareness."

Through discussions of gender inequality just with my peers, I have realized that most people do not think that gender inequality still exists, or they would rather just not talk about it. But Professor Smith makes a valid point about gender inequality on a larger scale than just hollywood: that issues of gender inequality "may be outside of people's conscious awareness."

Findings on revealing clothing display a disparity between men and women as well. Women are more likely to wear more suggestive clothing than men. Age becomes a factor in nudity as well, as "revealing clothing and partial nudity was just as prevalent among 13 to 20-year-old female characters as it was among those 21 to 29, suggesting that females are sexualized on-screen ay young ages."

Those involved at the study at USC believe that one of the reasons that contributes to these disparities is the fact that more men are directing things behind the scenes. They claim that if things were to change behind the scenes then things would change on the screen as well.

I have to agree. According to the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the only area where women surpassed men in films in 2009 is that they bought more than 50% of the movie tickets.