‘It’s a Man’s World’: Hollywood Underrepresents Women in Feature Films, New Study Points Out

A new study shows that despite the number of talented actresses in Hollywood, women remain underrepresented when it comes to major feature films. That more men are cast as protagonists, major characters and are given more speaking roles.

“It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World” survey, released by Martha M. Lauzen, executive director for the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, revealed that women accounted for only 15 percent of protagonists, 29 percent of major characters and 30 percent of speaking characters in the top 100 grossing films of 2013.

The study also pointed out that only 13 percent of the top 100 films featured an equal number of male and female characters. Also, women were cast younger than their male counterparts and less likely than male characters to have a clear goal or be portrayed as a leader. 

Lauzen spoke with The Hollywood Reporter regarding her survey and commented that, “Overall, we have seen little movement in the numbers of female protagonists and females as speaking characters over the last decade,” said Lauzen. “Moreover, female characters are less likely than males to have identifiable goals or to be portrayed as leaders of any kind.”

The study examined over 7,000 characters in 300 films.

Other key findings include:

• Only 15 percent of all clearly identifiable protagonists were female, up 4 percentage points from 2011, down 1 percent from 2002.
• Females comprised 29 percent of major characters, down 4 percent from 2011 but up 2 percent from 2002.
• Females accounted for 30 percent of all speaking characters (includes major and minor characters) in 2013, down 3 percent from 2011 but up 2 percent from 2002.
• Female characters remain younger than their male counterparts, with the majority being in their 20s and 30s.
• Males age 40 and over accounted for 55 percent of all male characters. Females 40 and over comprised 30 percent of all female characters.
• A substantially larger portion of male than female characters were seen in their work setting actually working (61 percent versus 40 percent).

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