Lights, camera, equal action!
Bethany Cassé examines the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera.
With cinemas finally reopening and long-awaited releases coming to the big screen, many of us will be grabbing popcorn and flocking to get a seat. Yet, are there still struggles with achieving equality and diversity on screen? The recent #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite and ‘Time’s Up’ movements have highlighted not only the horrific abuse that so many women have received but the shameful lack of diverse representation within the film industry. Posing the question: what progress is actually being made?
2021 marks the first year that more women than men were nominated for a directing BAFTA - a category which has been historically dominated by men. However, Chloé Zhao (who won the award for her film Nomadland) is only the second woman to have won the award in the ceremony’s 67 year history. Statistics show that, even though almost the same proportion of men and women directors graduate from film school, women account, on average, for only 20% of all directors in the industry. Systemic sexism also means that films directed by women are far less likely to get the same amount of press as those directed by men, and women are far less likely to be entrusted with the direction of big budget blockbusters.
The lack of women in directorial and influential positions within the film industry is translated onto the screen in the two-dimensional and patriarchal way in which women are so often represented. Frequently, female characters in a film only serve as a prop or love interest to the male protagonist. They are not realistic and well-rounded characters with their own plot-lines and agency but instead conform to sexist stereotypes. This could be explained by the fact that male screenwriters outnumber female screenwriters by seven to one. Women simply aren’t being given the same opportunities as men to write about their stories and experiences.
Moreover, the gender pay gap for actors is far greater than in almost any other industry. In a 2017 survey of top Hollywood actors it was found that female actors earn only 38% as much as their male counterparts. In fact, there have been many cases where actresses have been paid millions of pounds less than their male co-stars for their work on the same movie. Not only does this disparity in pay further exemplify the inherent sexism of the film industry, it is also a direct violation of Equal Pay legislation. Furthermore, there is substantial evidence that, after the age of 34, the wages and number of roles available to female actors declines rapidly. However, for men, the peak earning age is 51 and there is no decline in roles or wages as they get older. This only perpetuates the patriarchal idea that a woman’s worth is solely in her youth and attractiveness.
One way of approximating the representation of women in a film is called the Bechdel Test. In order for a film to pass the test it must meet all three of the following criteria:
Simple right? Shockingly, fewer than half of movies pass the Bechdel test. Examples of titles that fail the Bechdel test include “The Avengers”, “The Social Network” and all the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies. Although this test only provides an approximation of how well represented women are, it is a good indicator that something is seriously amiss.
Gender inequality is not the only issue in Hollywood. There is also a serious lack of representation of people of colour, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people from ethnic minority backgrounds in all roles and elements of the industry. So, what is the way forward? We need more diversity within influential positions of the film industry (CEOs, producers etc.) as this will in turn make films more diverse. Furthermore, film festivals and prestigious award ceremonies should make efforts to publicise a wider variety of films. However, on an individual level, viewing the content that we watch with a more critical lens and paying particular attention to how diverse the cast and crew are can make a real difference.
Bethany Cassé, Year 12
With cinemas finally reopening and long-awaited releases coming to the big screen, many of us will be grabbing popcorn and flocking to get a seat. Yet, are there still struggles with achieving equality and diversity on screen? The recent #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite and ‘Time’s Up’ movements have highlighted not only the horrific abuse that so many women have received but the shameful lack of diverse representation within the film industry. Posing the question: what progress is actually being made?
2021 marks the first year that more women than men were nominated for a directing BAFTA - a category which has been historically dominated by men. However, Chloé Zhao (who won the award for her film Nomadland) is only the second woman to have won the award in the ceremony’s 67 year history. Statistics show that, even though almost the same proportion of men and women directors graduate from film school, women account, on average, for only 20% of all directors in the industry. Systemic sexism also means that films directed by women are far less likely to get the same amount of press as those directed by men, and women are far less likely to be entrusted with the direction of big budget blockbusters.
The lack of women in directorial and influential positions within the film industry is translated onto the screen in the two-dimensional and patriarchal way in which women are so often represented. Frequently, female characters in a film only serve as a prop or love interest to the male protagonist. They are not realistic and well-rounded characters with their own plot-lines and agency but instead conform to sexist stereotypes. This could be explained by the fact that male screenwriters outnumber female screenwriters by seven to one. Women simply aren’t being given the same opportunities as men to write about their stories and experiences.
Moreover, the gender pay gap for actors is far greater than in almost any other industry. In a 2017 survey of top Hollywood actors it was found that female actors earn only 38% as much as their male counterparts. In fact, there have been many cases where actresses have been paid millions of pounds less than their male co-stars for their work on the same movie. Not only does this disparity in pay further exemplify the inherent sexism of the film industry, it is also a direct violation of Equal Pay legislation. Furthermore, there is substantial evidence that, after the age of 34, the wages and number of roles available to female actors declines rapidly. However, for men, the peak earning age is 51 and there is no decline in roles or wages as they get older. This only perpetuates the patriarchal idea that a woman’s worth is solely in her youth and attractiveness.
One way of approximating the representation of women in a film is called the Bechdel Test. In order for a film to pass the test it must meet all three of the following criteria:
- It has to have at least two [named] women in it
- Who talk to each other
- About something besides a man
Simple right? Shockingly, fewer than half of movies pass the Bechdel test. Examples of titles that fail the Bechdel test include “The Avengers”, “The Social Network” and all the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies. Although this test only provides an approximation of how well represented women are, it is a good indicator that something is seriously amiss.
Gender inequality is not the only issue in Hollywood. There is also a serious lack of representation of people of colour, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people from ethnic minority backgrounds in all roles and elements of the industry. So, what is the way forward? We need more diversity within influential positions of the film industry (CEOs, producers etc.) as this will in turn make films more diverse. Furthermore, film festivals and prestigious award ceremonies should make efforts to publicise a wider variety of films. However, on an individual level, viewing the content that we watch with a more critical lens and paying particular attention to how diverse the cast and crew are can make a real difference.
Bethany Cassé, Year 12