People call the film industry a place of dreams, but is it really? Even with decades of progress, people still shut others out of opportunities based on their gender and identity. This guide explains why sexism in films is still a problem for people behind and on the big screens. Once both issues receive comprehensive and long-term solutions, everyone’s silver screen dreams can become a reality.
1. Women Aren’t Safe Behind the Scenes
Women can’t influence produced media if they feel unsafe in writers’ rooms and producer meetings. A recent survey found that 94% of women working in film have experienced sexual harassment or assault. No one should fight their way into an unsafe space to create the career they love.If the people enacting the assault from higher up the film industry food chain also depict who and what is on screen, sexism in films won’t become a thing of the past. There should be more accountability for people leading film projects on all levels so every project becomes more inclusive by becoming a safer space.
2. Young Girls Encounter Sexist Programming
Sexism in the film industry affects women long before they become adults. It also invades children’s programming and instills stereotypes into young girls’ minds.Research shows that students pay attention to subtle messaging written into TV shows. When young girls and boys watched the same programming designed to suggest that boys were more naturally inclined to do well in math, the girls finished the show with an increased belief in this stereotype.
Other stereotypes also hurt their potential, like seeing female characters only being mothers while the fathers have careers and hobbies. When young people start believing in these stereotypes early in their lives, they subconsciously shape their life goals and self-esteem around the societal expectations they believe to be true.
3. Women Shouldn’t Settle for Minor Progress
If you’re wondering why sexism in films is still a problem, look to the industry’s leadership. Equality would give men and women equal space in leadership positions, but that still isn’t a reality.The 2017 Me Too movement began to remove sexual predators in Hollywood and shined a crucial spotlight on the lack of female leaders like producers and executives. When the movement began to settle down on social media platforms, people assumed its goals had started to become a reality.
In truth, a survey discovered that female directors increased by 8% while female executives remained at a low count of 30%. Women of color are also still a vast minority, especially when broken down by race. Minor progress is helpful but not meaningful. If society remains focused on defeating the film industry’s sexist practices, these numbers will eventually represent real change for women of all backgrounds and skillsets.
4. Media Shapes Cultural Norms
People don’t often think about how much of an impact media has on society’s cultural norms. Films and TV shows represent what’s happening in a country’s culture, but they can also push boundaries to instigate positive change. If 78% of corporate companies are promoting gender diversity, the film industry — which is much more prominent in the public eye — should follow suit.When “Grey’s Anatomy” aired in March 2005, it had a diverse cast representing gender diversity and people with numerous ethnicities. Critics agreed that it surpassed expectations with 7.2 million viewers in its first season and proved that men would watch shows with female leads, which had kept many projects with female leads from getting the green light.
Katherine Bigelow also set a prominent example. Bigelow directed the 2008 hit, “The Hurt Locker,” which helped her become the first female director to win an Academy Award in 2010. The first woman of color to win an Oscar became Chloé Zhao in early 2021, so it’s notable that meaningful change is still happening at a glacial pace.
However, each time a woman overcomes sexism in films and TV shows, it opens the door for more women to follow in her footsteps. The outstanding support shown for media created and staffed by women, like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Hurt Locker” represents the cultural norms shifting due to change happening on-screen.
There will be less sexism in the film industry when the producers and executives in charge start striving to meet the societal demand for equal gender representation in everything from leading roles to director positions.
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Ginger Abbot is a freelance writer and graduate student with a passion for helping others find their career paths. Read more of her work on Classrooms, where she serves as Managing Editor.
