Does the film industry perpetuate workplace gender discrimination?

The global film industry is perpetuating gender stereotypes and discrimination against women, according to a study backed by the United Nations (UN).

Gender Bias without Borders, which was commissioned by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media with support from the UN, found that women’s role in the workplace is being under-represented in cinema. Whereas women account for just under 40% of the actual global workforce, in the films analyzed only 22.5% of female characters were shown as being in employment.

The study, which reviewed a sample of 122 films from 11 different countries, found that depictions of certain professions are if anything more male-dominated on-screen than in real life. Only 9.1% of lawyers and 14.8% of doctors in the movies examined were female. Men also outpaced women by seven to one in STEM roles (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

The authors note that "exposure to media portrayals can contribute to or reinforce viewers’ occupational knowledge, career socialization, and even gender stereotypical attitudes and beliefs about work."

Our author Ulf Rinne has written about the effectiveness of anonymous job applications in combating discrimination against women and other disadvantaged groups. He argues that while anonymous applications can reduce the risk of discrimination in some situations, they should not be regarded as a universal remedy that is applicable in any context or that can prevent any form of discrimination.

The executive summary of the research can be found here.

Related article:
Anonymous job applications and hiring discrimination, by Ulf Rinne