The developing role of women within the Science Fiction Genre
Prepared by J Furlong 2004
The role of women in science fiction films has developed to reflect the
dominant ideology and hegemony of the society at the time and it is easy
to trace this development through a range of film texts chronologically.
Starting with the inception of the film genre and a film such as
Metropolis 1926 the ideology of the day dictated that women were the
fairer and very much the weaker sex. The maternal home makers and
respectful wives. Any deviation from this was met with suspicion and
derision. The dominant hegemony being patriarchal in structure these
ideals ‘rules’ were enforced mainly by men who dominated positions of
authority both in society and naturally within the film making industry.
In Metropolis we see the creation of the female machine. What is
apparent is that whilst on the one hand she fulfils the ideology of the day
in respect of her glamorous appearance she is established as a version of
womanhood to be treated with suspicion due to her position of power and
influence over the down trodden male characters trapped in the world
below. Women who used their sexuality to control and dominate men were
both feared and spurned by society and seen as something insidious and
threatening; very much in keeping with the narrative conventions of the
genre where the greatest threat to humanity often comes from within. It
is no surprise therefore given the hegemony of the film industry that
whilst the female character is sexually attractive intelligent and powerful
she is something to be feared and looked upon almost as an alien creature
outside of societies expected norms.
If we then move forward to films such as The War of the Worlds in 1954
it is not only the film industry and genre that have continued to evolve
and develop but the role of women in society has also changed. Post war
women had had a taste of freedom and independence during the years
when they had assumed male roles in industry and society whilst the men
were away at war. Returning men found a strange new breed of women
who could actually be quite self sufficient and found them selves out of
role. In an era before feminism really began to take a hold and influence
all aspects of society the hegemony was still a patriarchal system and this
reversal of roles needed addressing. It is therefore not surprising in The
War of the Worlds that, come the alien invasion, the female characters
are represented as being totally reliant on the might of the men, the
army and their weaponry to save and protect them; they once again are
represented as being defenceless and in need of protection. This is the
role that the society of the day ideologically wanted its women to re
assume. It could almost be seen as a form of propaganda sending
messages to women through this mass media form of what an acceptable
role for women was.
Something very interesting then happened within the Media industry
which was the gradual relaxing of censorship within the film industry with
the beginnings of the end of the Hollywood studio system which had so
dominated film production. With this new development came a new role
for women in films and where better to exploit this than within the
fantasy realm of science fiction. This new role was of course the male
gaze object. The objectification of women as objects of gaze began to be
noticeable within the mass media at about this time. What the science
fiction genre allowed directors and producers to do was to push
boundaries a little further as by casting women in these fantasy roles
they were able to break yet further away from accepted society
representations of women. If we take an early example such as Planet of
The Apes 1967 the fantasy aspect of the film allowed the director to
have scantily clad mute women as part of the narrative which fulfilled the
function of male gaze whilst fulfilling what was becoming the conventional
role of women in science fiction that of a non protagonist. This was of
course still a reflection of the dominant hegemony within the film
industry of the time.
Whilst it could be argued that there are many contemporary science
fiction films that still contain elements of these earlier female roles
within science fiction e.g. sexual predators and threats; “Species” 1995,
helpless female needing male protection; “Independence Day” 1996 et al
and of course objects of the male gaze: Halle Berry in skin tight cat suit
in “X-Men” 2000 there has however been an evident shift in both
societies ideology and the hegemony of the film industry that has had an
impact on the female role within science fiction films.
The most obvious of these is of course Aliens 1986 which cast Sigourney
Weaver as not only the main protagonist but protector of the human race
and pseudo action hero all rolled into one, a role usually reserved for male
characters within this genre. This of course reflects the shift in society
and the empowerment of women in the 80’s which led to role reversal in
both the work place and home with women pursuing careers before family
and the emergence of the fist generation of ‘house husbands’. It is
therefore not surprising that this change in society is reflected in the
change within the genre. Weaver’s character is strong, independent and
courageous though ultimately the industry hegemony still dictates that
she display feminine attributes such as maternalism and even as action
hero there are still elements of gaze.
Weaver’s character can trace her independence back to other female
characters within the genre. Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode 4 1977
whilst fulfilling the role of gaze, who can forget the gold bikini scene in
the Empire Strikes Back 1980, she is allowed a certain amount of
independence and courage though she never quite reaches the action hero
of Weaver’s character. Being a much early prototype cast in the 70’s it is
also hardly surprising that the industry hegemony is even more apparent
in the fact that ultimately Leia is tamed and of course rescued by a male
protagonist.
If we then take a film such as Blade Runner 1982 we can see yet another
development in the female role. Whilst the two aggressive female
replicants are faintly reminiscent of those created first in Metropolis
they filmatically have more in common with the action hero Weaver.
Whilst clearly used as objects of gaze both the pleasure replicants are
intelligent, independent, though of course ultimately a threat which must
be destroyed, but capable of looking after themselves and engage in fight
and chase sequences usually reserved for the male role. The hegemony is
still evident in Rachel’s ultimate rescue by Harrison Ford’s Deckard but
there is an equality evident in the portrayal of Rachel’s character that
whilst fulfilling the fantasy aspect of science fiction i.e. the creation of a
perfect female for men’s pleasure she is an equal to Deckard’s
intelligence which again reflects changes in the ideology of the day.
Later films such as Gattica 1997 and Minority Report 2002 allow for
much more diversity in the female role within the genre which contrasts
starkly to the earliest female roles and this diversity is a direct
reflection of shift in modern ideologies regarding women in society and
their role within the media. Whilst aspects of representation within the
genre remain consistent i.e. the use of female characters as objects of
gaze developments are allowed and there is an equality more evident in
the worlds of Gattica and Minority Report where male and female
characters fight, think and discover side by side and occasionally as in
the case of Weaver in Aliens play a more direct role in saving the world.
Ultimately however there is still no escaping aspects of the hegemony
which dictate whilst Tom Cruise’s wife in Minority Report can solve the
mystery, break her husband out of jail and orchestrate the down fall of
the villain and the technology that ultimately threatens the fabric of
human society she ultimately must return to John as his wife and assume
her maternal role and we are left with the final shot of her contented
and pregnant and barefoot.
It is clear to see that within the genre of science fiction the
development of the female role has been given more freedom due to the
fantasy aspect of the conventions of the genre but ultimately is a
reflection of society as a whole and the role media plays in re enforcing
dominant ideologies and hegemony.
J Furlong August 2004