FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
Film’s Impact on the
Perpetuation of Global Economic Gender Inequality
Shalemar Coloma
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FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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Film’s Impact on the
Perpetuation of Global Economic Gender Inequality
One of the greatest problems of the 21st century is the international perpetuation of
gender inequality maintained by the modern use of media. This paper’s primary focus is on the
medium of film and its impact on economic gender inequality. Although America is a leader in
the film industry, it is far from being a leader in the fight for fair economic opportunities between
men and women. As well, films from around the world, Nigeria and India as this paper’s prime
examples, misrepresent women as negative stereotypes that demean them, continuing the
acceptance of global economic gender inequality.
It is important that this issue be discussed because by naming the problem, society can
find ways to solve a detrimental and unjust status quo. Legislation and reform can only do so
much for the masses that are more fixated on media such as film, by which they are daily
surrounded. By recognizing the negative impact, society can have a concrete problem to resolve.
Limitations of Study
Certain discrepancies occurred during this study that included demographic factors,
participant error and limited knowledge on every single film involved in the study. Out of the 93
participants that reveal their sex in the study, the demographics consist of 33 males and 58
females, a great gender bias. Most of the participants were from a suburban high school setting,
with 75 of the participants 13 to 18 years of age. Additional participants consisted of six
participants ages 19 to 24, one ages 31 to 40, five ages 41 to 50, and ages 51 and older. Some of
the participants did not fully answer each question of the survey, which skews some of the data.
For the method used in this study, the researcher reviewed the films favored by the participants
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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and with such a wide array of movies listed, it was difficult to know the full plot and theme of
each and every movie.
Method
A survey examining the films that a population has chosen as their favorites—currently
and from their childhood—was conducted. The researcher studied a number of elements in the
participants’ responses including the total amount films named by the participants with a woman
as the main character, the type of career the female lead has using an adaption of Hammer’s
(2010) categorization of women’s career choices in film, the ratio between favorite female
characters to male characters as chosen by the participants, the ratio between male leads and
females leads in chosen children’s movies, and the number of films that passed the Bechdel
test—a simple method to examine women’s roles in film that consists of three criteria: 1) having
at least two women in the film 2) the women must talk to each other and 3) the conversation
must be on something unrelated to a man (Ulaby, 2008).
Data Collection
An online survey was used to take data. The researcher distributed this survey to students
of a suburban high school setting and members of a church in the researcher’s community.
The survey consisted of four questions:
1. Are you male or female?
2. What is your age? (To which participants could choose from 12 or younger, 13-18,
19-24, 25-30, 31-40, and 41-50)
3. What are your favorite movies currently? Please list any favorite characters in these
movies.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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4. What were your favorite movies as a child? Please list any favorite characters in these
movies.
After collecting 100 responses, the researcher created a video sheet to analyze the data.
The first column of the sheet listed the movie title. Then, with the help of IMDb.com and
RottenTomatoes.com, the researcher found the first three top-billed actors and/or actresses of
each movie mentioned by participants listed on the site. In the next column, out of the three
leading stars of the movie, the researcher recorded how many female leads existed. Next to this
number of female leads, the researcher indicated whether one of the leads was the main character
of the film. On the next column, the same procedure followed except with male leads and male
main characters. The next column was for indicating whether the films passed the Bechdel Test.
The last column was only used if the film portrayed a female main character and, by using an
adaptation of Hammer’s (2010) categorization of women’s careers in film, the researcher
designated the character’s career as traditional, nontraditional, oppressive traditional career, or
not seen working and could not be determined (i.e. high school student, young girl, etc.). From
these responses the reader also tallied the number of children’s films mentioned and how many
consisted of a male lead or a female lead. The number of favorite characters were also counted
and divided into male and female.
Literature Review
Coontz’s (2014) article discusses the current climate of sex discrimination in
employment, which, according to the statistics provided, has seen progress yet remains less than
equal. Even after the implementation of legislation such as the Civil Rights Act, gender
employment equality continues to grow slowly. According to the article, women are better off
than previous generations, currently graduating from post-secondary education more than men;
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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however, in similar occupations and positions, women are still earning less than men, even with
the same work and hours involved.
This issue of economic gender inequality has continued for many reasons, and much of
this has to do with the representation of women in popular culture, specifically for this research
paper, film. Zeisler’s (2008) book studies the relationship between women and pop culture,
which is a political relationship according to Zeisler. Pop culture and film can reflect a society,
but one must also remember the people behind the camera that interpret the current culture—
people that are usually male.
Women’s Former Role in Film
Film was not always a male-dominated industry and creative outlet. According to Seger’s
(1996) book, a number of creative women pioneered the early years of film during the early
1900s. These women would take on roles as writers, producers, and directors; be innovators in
many filmmaking techniques used today; and create careers for prospective actresses that
eventually became well-known stars. This freedom and creativity of film, most of which
originated from women, quickly diminished during the rise of the studio system in 1924 (Seger,
1996) and the enactment of the Hays Code (Zeisler, 2008). The studio system was a male
creation run by men that made the industry an unfair arena where women were not given any fair
chance to compete. The Hays Code deemed the portrayal of women before the code—women
with jobs, complex emotions, and sexual autonomy—as deviants that needed to be controlled.
World War II helped women to gain bigger roles in the film industry as writers, but once the war
was over and soldiers came back home, men “took back” these jobs from women. This culture
shift would dramatically change the way in which America would view women. The 1970s saw
another culture shift as economic opportunities for women grew. The representation of women in
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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film became more complex, and women behind-the-scenes began taking on more authoritative
positions in the industry, although it was not yet equal (Seger, 1996).
Gender Bias in the Film Industry of Today
Currently, the film industry employs significantly more men than women in key positions
of the industry. For the top 250 domestic grossing film, “women accounted for 16% of all
directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors” (Lauzen,
2014b, p. 1). This underrepresentation of women behind-the-scenes results in the
misrepresentation of women on the big screen. In Lauzen’s (2014a) study of female characters in
2013 movies, women only accounted for 15% of protagonists.
This gender disparity has resulted because of many factors according to Seger (1996).
Access to the film industry, whether male of female, is very limited. However, Marcia Nasatir
states the many men in control do not want to give women a chance in the industry, because of
the power and influence the industry brings (as cited in Seger, 1996). Executive Barbara Corday
also believes that the men in charge are unsure of how to handle women that desire a career in
the industry, as the corporate studio system was primarily a male creation (as cited in Seger,
1996). As well, proper mentorship for women who want to attain positions in the industry is
limited. Film schools do not have an equal student body of males and females, preparing more
men than women for the industry (Seger, 1996). According to Seger (1996) “the natural tendency
of men is usually to mentor males. If there are few women in power, there are few women to
mentor women.” The female voice that could positively contribute to the number of female
protagonists in film is often silenced, as executives believe that stories about women cannot
easily make money.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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As men continue to control the film industry while women are unable to break through
the celluloid ceiling, images of women continue to be detrimental to the way society views
gender. Women seek autonomy and self-efficacy in their lives, but the lack of women in the
industry to portray that desire perpetuates images of submission and dependence. In
Sutherland’s (2010) essay, she discusses a female character’s power in film, a power that is less
than straightforward. The power carried by a woman is usually a “flaw that must be rectified”
(Sutherland, 2010, p. 113). Film often links a woman’s independence to her unhappiness, as with
Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999), or portrays the power as sexualized, as with Sharon
Stone in Basic Instinct (1992) and Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction (1987).
The Absence of the Working Woman
Specifically, women in the working world are notably underrepresented in film, although
women constitute half of the working force (Shriver, 2009). According to Smith, Choueiti, and
Stern’s (2010) study conducted between September 5, 2006 and September 7, 2006, G-rated
films, films that mostly affect the nation’s small children, significantly misrepresent women’s
role in the workforce. Within the context of the plot, men are more likely to be depicted with an
occupation (57.9%) than that of women (31.6%). When only looking at speaking characters
portrayed to have jobs, the study finds that out of the 333 speaking characters studied “268 are
males (80.5%) and 65 (19.5%) are females” (Smith et. al, 2010), a huge difference considering
the reality of women in the current workforce, skewing children’s and young adult’s
occupational socialization. According to Smith et al.’s (2014) study, “female characters only
comprise 22.5% of the global film workforce, whereas male characters form 77.5%.” Men are
also represented as leaders more often than women worldwide—only 13.9% of women were
represented as executives and 9.5% as high-level politicians—and men are more likely to hold
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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prestigious professions (attorneys and judges, medical practitioners, professors, and STEM
workers).
As previously mentioned, forms of entertainment such as film can have a great impact on
society while it simultaneously comments on it (Zeisler, 2008), in this case women’s career
choice. What is portrayed on film has been known to influence ideas from body image (Monro
and Huon, as cited by Hammer, 2010) and exercise behavior (Bell, Berger, Cassady, and
Townsend, as cited by Hammer, 2010) and as women make daily choices, images that appear in
the media around them, in this case film, influences how they make decisions. As stated by
Reinharz and Kulick (2007), “…film [plays] a significant role in [women’s] self-creation and the
choices available to them for work and leisure” (as cited by Hammer, 2010).
Explanatory Theory of Women’s Career Goals
It is important to note the explanatory theory of women and their career goals and aspirations.
According to Evetts’ (2000) article, these “dimensions of the explanatory theory are:
1. Cultural dimensions: family and feminine ideologies, and organizational cultures.
2. Structural dimensions: family structures and organizational processes.
3. Action dimensions: women’s choices and strategies.”
For the purposes of this research paper, cultural and action dimensions are the primary
focus. Cultural dimensions emphasize the difficulties of female career choice and the
perpetuation of occupational gender bias. These dimensions emphasize the cultural and societal
belief of femininity, a concept that in most societies, developed or not, excludes women from the
professional sector—a masculine domain—in order to serve “natural,” maternal duties. This
cultural belief influences women to choose an occupation, if one at all, based on this idealized
concept of the “perfect” family. Women must choose to balance work, family and self-
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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satisfaction as professionals with their roles as partners, wives, mothers and daughters. Women
are pressured by these cultural expectations controlling their career choices and goals.
Action dimensions focus less on constraints in a society and more on women’s agency to
experience culture and structure, reacting in diverse ways and ultimately making their own
choices. They consider personal background rather than collective and societal elements as a
reason for career choice and have a deeper emphasis on change. Action dimensions suggest that
choices are not determined by structure or culture—although they are factors for opportunity—
but are determined by a diverse set of factors affected by earlier decisions. Evetts concludes here,
stating that in order for women to conceive their career actions, change must be emphasized,
rather than the factors that hinder occupational progress (Evetts, 2000).
The Female Workforce Represented in Film
Images from these popular Hollywood films and many others that exist perpetuate
society’s high expectations of women, influencing their career decisions because of these movies
underlying themes of idealized femininity. As stated by Crawford and Unger (2004), “If a
woman suspects that her attempt at a career may lead to devaluation of her competence, the
stress of being a token, and social rejection, she many give up her high aspirations” (as cited by
Hammer, 2010). In many popular films such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), which
portrays a working female protagonist experiencing cultural dimensions, or The Devil Wears
Prada (2006)—which exhibits a female protagonist experiencing action dimensions—there is the
recurring theme that a woman’s career choices are entangled with her romantic relationships. A
study by Nancy Signorielli reveals that media’s portrayal of women and girls show them “as
more concerned with romance and dating, while men are depicted as more concerned with their
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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occupations” (as cited by Hammer, 2010). This study also indicates 65% of women depicted in
movies were portrayed as concerned primarily with romantic relationships.
A study by Hammer (2010) shows that out of 81 films studied for women’s career choice,
the largest percentage portrayed were traditional career choices, which included such
occupations as homemaker, housewife, housekeeper, caregiver, waitress and a career in the arts.
The study reveals that these films often showed women as caregiving in nature and when showed
in nontraditional careers, they remained “outside of the realm of realistic expectations for the
average female, such as the director of M16, a member of the mafia elite, or a hired assassin”
(Hammer, 2010). It is revealed that women in film are mostly focused on their relationships,
rather than their career. Her occupation sets the stage for her romantic involvement, rather than
having her career as her main concern. The study also found stereotypes of the superwoman, the
woman able to have it all with little difficulty, and the “ice queen,” a woman who is detached
from relationships in order to gain power in her career. Hammer (2010) found that according to
him women are unable to completely succeed in their life, no matter their career goals and
choices.
The implications that Hammer found were similar to the cultural dimensions of the
explanatory theory for women’s career choices. Society puts little importance on a women’s
career choice, which is reflected and propagated by film’s limited focus on a woman’s career,
and women are continuing to choose between a career and a family. Through her study, she
concludes that gender bias in film—which includes “stereotypes, controlling images, and
myths”—has endured even after the wealth of feminist voices and political action that has
occurred in the last century and is continuing today.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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A Global Perspective
The unequal representation of women is not only seen in American cinema, but also in
films worldwide, on and off-screen. In Smith, Choueiti, and Pieper’s (2014) report studying
gender bias in American, Chinese, Japanese, British, Australian, Indian, French, German,
Korean, and Brazilian film, the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women continues
globally. Of 5,799 speaking or named characters studied, only 30.9% were female and 69.1%
were male, “a gender ratio of 2.24 males to every one female” (Smith et al., 2014). The gender
gap continues behind-the-scenes, as “females comprised 7% of directors, 19.7% of writers and
22.7% of producers across the sample” (Smith et al., 2014).
Along with the United States, the Indian film industry, known as Bollywood, and the
Nigerian video-film industry, known as Nollywood, are among the highest national producers of
film. (“Feature films,” 2013).
Western media and ideals heavily influence Bollywood—as India was colonized by Great
Britain—skewing their ideas of gender roles. According to Kaur (2002), the recent Bollywood
films of India, developed Western elements as the state became globalized by the economic
liberalization in the 1990s. Through extravagant concepts with song and dance, women are
mostly represented as part of a love story, the love triangle a usual device. The Indian diaspora
currently taking place influences the countless films India’s industry produces—films that help
to maintain a Non-Resident Indian’s nostalgic sense of tradition, specifically concerning the
family, morals, and true love. A theme explored in Bollywood film as a result of India’s recent
globalization, economic boom, and diaspora is the struggle of cultural identity in a Western
world. Indian women are often conflicted by traditional norms and Western ideals, usually
celebrated when they choose tradition over globalization. In contrast, the roles of Western
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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women in Bollywood film are often figures used to portray the polluted values of American and
European society, while their Indian boyfriends sacrifice their authentic and moral Indian ideals.
According to Abah (2008), the Nollywood film industry is less concerned with critical
acclamation and more about its cultural representations. Despite less developed acting and
filmmaking technique, Nollywood films have resonated with the African continent as a whole
because it is made for Africans, by Africans, with African stories. The representations of women
are actually very diverse—their “shades, shapes and sizes” varying (Abah, 2008)—with women
taking on nontraditional career goals from “lawyers, judges, doctors, CEOs, high-ranking civil
servants” (Abah, 2008) to traditional domestic career goals. Although there is a variety of
representation for Nigerian women, the theme of the films usually warn the mostly woman
viewers of the consequences of female success in a patriarchal society or failing to satisfy their
traditional domestic roles as women. The ideal woman is usually portrayed as a submissive wife
with a husband and children and the toxic woman is portrayed as economically, politically or
socially, and sexually independent. While these films can misrepresent the desires of Nigerian
women who want to have social, political and economic autonomy, Abah (2008) suggests that
the films currently represent the reality of Nigerian women, as many of them, although being
successfully educated, are still oppressed in a society of persistent patriarchal traditions.
In three different parts of the world—America, India and Nigeria—with different cultural
traditions and norms, it is clear that women are still underrepresented and misrepresented or even
accurately represented, although the representation reflects a continuing oppressive society.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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Discussion
In order to evaluate how film impacts the perception of a woman’s career goals and
aspirations—which the researcher believes can be a negative impact—an online survey was
given to a population of individuals.
After evaluating the films, participants named a total of 182 films as their favorites,
currently and from childhood. Of these films, only 59 (32%) consisted of female main
characters while 123 (68%) consisted of male main characters, a great difference considering the
number of participants that revealed their gender was 33 male and 58 female. 107 out of the 182
films passed the Bechdel test.
Adding to Hammer’s (2010) categorization, the researcher included the job of princess in
the traditional career sector and in the categories of women in traditional, nontraditional,
oppressive traditional, and nonworking career roles, participants mostly chose films (22 out of
59) that show female main characters not working. Following that, women were more shown in
traditional roles (19), nontraditional roles (13), and were portrayed with careers that could not be
determined (5) by an IMDb.com or RottenTomatoes.com description of the character or from
viewing the film’s trailer.
The participants mentioned a total of 260 character names in which 151 were male and
106 were female. Observing these responses, the researcher noticed that male main characters
were more favored, while on the female side, supporting characters were more often cited as
favorites than leading roles.
In the total 52 children’s films reviewed, 21 featured a female main character while 31
featured a male character. Although this does not seem like such a difference, the researcher
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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noticed that the leading female characters were more often portrayed as princesses or caretakers,
unlike their male counterparts.
The study shows that even in a survey taken by mostly women, films with male main
characters are more likely favored than films with women serving as the lead role. In these films
with leading male roles, the participants studied favored male characters that were very
masculine and heroic, while in favorite films with leading female characters, women do not
work, serve more traditional roles, or have unlikely career goals, unattainable by even the
common male population. This indicates that a general audience is more likely to enjoy viewing
images of powerful men rather than viewing images of powerful women, and they are more
likely to enjoy viewing women in nonworking or traditional roles. This is significant because as
audiences consume these images, they are influenced by the film’s message (Hammer, 2010). If
entertaining content featuring only male characters is created to appeal to wider audiences, then
the theme of masculine power ultimately dominates the current culture.
This study largely relates to Hammer’s (2010) content analysis of women’s career
choices in film. However, she naturally selects the films she studies by a certain criteria she has
created, while the researcher of this study examines the chosen films favored by a population of
participants. The most significant difference is that Hammer reviews the portrayal of women’s
career choices by what is being distributed, while the researcher of this study reviews the
portrayal of women’s career choices in what an audience is primarily consuming. Through her
criteria, Hammer also chooses award-winning films and excludes the genres of science fiction
and animation (Hammer, 2010), limiting the variety, unlike the researcher, whose participants
chose movies from all genres and acclamations.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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There were a surprising number of films that passed the Bechdel test. The test has fairly
simple criteria, however, so films those were very male-centric (i.e. Neighbors) technically
passed, although the film does not serve to bring women’s stories into light. While the number
of films with female main characters was low, there were supporting female character roles that
were very influential and showed a complex character, such as the often-mentioned favorite
Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter movies.
From conducting this study, the researcher would suggest a further in-depth look at how a
women respond to images of women in traditional, nontraditional, nonworking, and oppressive
traditional careers, rather than what they favor.
Conclusion
As film continues to put little importance on women’s career choice, this school of
thought will influence audience members, as media is a significant tool in cultural socialization.
The study confirms this, as much of what participants favor is that of a male main character. If
Hollywood allows its films to primarily show men with leading roles, society will only do to
follow suit, with men in positions of power, like the movies. Much of the fault is not the
audience, but the content creators. The film industry is so predominantly male that women’s
voices and stories are silenced and the chance to have equal representation is denied. This does
away with the chance to see women as not only workers that deserve occupational equality, but
also as real humans. It takes away the chance for men to relate and to understand. If film can
powerfully maintain this idea that women are below men, under the glass ceiling, than, in
reverse, it holds the power to change the status quo. In order to change the film industry, women
must significantly take part in the industry, not to take it hostage, but to replace the negative
images of women, for the sake of women and men alike.
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References
Abah, A. L. (2008). One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward: African Women in Nigerian
Video-Film. Communication, Culture & Critique, 1(4), 335-357. doi:10.1111/j.17539137.2008.00027.x
This article is about the representation of Nigerian women in Nollywood film culture.
The source is credible because it comes from the VCU library database. I can use it as
part of my global perspective in my research.
Acker, J. (2006). Inequality Regimes Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations. Gender and
Society, 20(4), 441-464. doi:10.2307/27640904
This article defines gender, class, and racial inequality in work organizations. The
source is reliable because it comes from JSTOR. I won't use it because it talks about
economic gender inequality, yet fails to mention the representation of this economic
gender inequality in film.
Bielby, D. D., & Bielby, W. T. (1996). Women and Men in Film: Gender Inequality among
Writers in a Culture Industry. Gender and Society, 10(3), 248-270.
doi:10.2307/189696
This source focuses on the gender inequality in screenwriter jobs. It is a reliable source
because it comes from JSTOR. However, I will most likely not use it because it
focuses on the workers of film rather than the representation of women in film, which
does not strengthen my argument that the lack of women working in film affects how
women will perceive their careers.
Coontz, S. (2014 mar 10). Women Have Come a Long Way, but Have a Far Way to Go.
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, pp. N.p. DB - SIRS Issues Researcher. Retrieved
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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November 7, 2014, from http://sks.sirs.com
This article discusses the obstacles that women face in the employment arena. It is
reliable because it comes from a database. I can use it to give background on what
women currently go through in the workforce.
Curtiz, M. (Director). (1945). Mildred Pierce [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros.
This film is about maternal sacrifice, even if it means letting go of your career. It was
cited in a book that I got from the TCC library so it is a good source to talk about
maternal sacrifice. I can use it to discuss cultural dimensions of women's career
choices.
Evetts, J. (2000). Analysing Change in Women's Careers: Culture, Structure and Action
Dimensions. Gender, Work & Organization, 7(1), 57-67. Retrieved November 6,
2014, from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&
AN=4519170&site=ehost-live
This article outlines three dimensions of a women's career: cultural, structural and
action dimensions. It is a reliable source because it comes from a TCC database. I may
be able to use it when discussing the lack of agency for a woman in the workforce;
however, the article is from 2000, so there is a relevancy issue.
Feature films. (2013). Retrieved December 11, 2014, from
http://data.uis.unesco.org/Index.aspx?queryid=116
This site gives data results of the most feature films produced by a country. It is
credible because it comes from the UN. I will use it for the global perspective of my
paper.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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Fishburn, K. (1982). Women in Film. In Women in popular culture: A reference guide (pp. 136150). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
The book in itself is a critical analysis of women in pop culture. The section of women
in film discusses the paradox of women being successful as muses and stars, but
hardly taken seriously as artists. The source is very good. I borrowed this book from
the TCC library and the author cites a lot of their information from other works.
However, I worry about its relevancy since it is a book from the 80's. I think I will use
it as background and to explain the paradox of women in film.
Frankel, D. (Director), Finerman, W. (Producer), & McKenna, A. B. (Writer). (2006). The Devil
wears Prada [Motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox.
Global Film Industry Perpetuates Discrimination Against Women - UN-Backed Study. (2014,
September 23). Africa News Service. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?failOverType
=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=News&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighl
ighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=
e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE|A383245454&source=Book
mark&u=va_s_128_0920&jsid=74a6b52600d655a172be58b2f85f7d36
The article describes the first-of-its-kind global study that compares international film
and finds that across the board, women are incredibly underrepresented as careerdriven and are unsurprisingly more sexualized than men. The source is reliable
because it came from a database,and it cites the Geena Davis Research Institute. I can
use it to talk about the global aspect of my project.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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Hammer, T. R. (2010). A Content Analysis of Women's Career Choices in Film.Journal of
Creativity in Mental Health, 5(3), 260-274.
This is a study of how women choose their careers in film. It is credible because it
came from a TCC database. It is a great source for me to use because it is exactly my
topic.
Hollinger, K. (2012). Feminist film studies. London: Routledge.
This book discusses feminist criticism of films. It is credible because it is a book from
the TCC library. I can use it to cite examples of feminist and anti-feminist books.
Karlyn, K. R. (2011). Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers : Redefining Feminism on Screen.
Austin: University of Texas Press. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk
&AN=351591&site=ehost-live
This book explores feminism in film. It is a good source because it was found on the
TCC database list. I might use it to show how certain sub-genres of feminist film (i.e.
Girl World Film) contribute to the empowerment of women. However, it is not the
strongest source for my argument.
Kaur, R. (2002). Viewing the West through Bollywood: A celluloid Occident in the
making. Contemporary South Asia, 11(2), 199-209.
This article discusses Bollywood's Western influences and the representations of
groups in the industry's films. It is credible because it came from the VCU database. I
will probably use this as a part of my global perspective.
Lauzen, M. M., P. (2014a). The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on
the Top 250 Films of 2013 (Rep.). Retrieved November 7, 2014, from Center for the
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
20
Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University website:
http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2013_It's_a_Man's_World_Report.pdf
This report shows the number of female characters in the 250 most popular films of
2013. It is a credible source because it comes from a university and also many people
cite this source. I will use it to show how misrepresented women are in film.
Lauzen, M. M., PhD. (2014b). The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women
on the Top 250 Films of 2013 (Rep.). Retrieved November 7, 2014, from Center for
the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University website:
http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2013_Celluloid_Ceiling_Report.pdf
This report gives findings on the employment of women in the top 250 films of 2013.
It is credible because it comes from San Diego State University. I can use it to show
how women are underrepresented, which makes their representation not as accurate.
Petrie, D. (Director). (2003). How to lose a guy in 10 days [Motion picture].
This film is about a woman trying to get a guy to break up with her in ten days. The
source is credible because it can set up the discussion I am talking about and it was a
really popular film that many people have seen. I can talk about cultural dimensions in
women's career choice.
Pravadelli, V. (array). Cinema and the Modern Woman. doi:10.1002/9780470671153.wbhaf033
This source discusses the history of gender inequality represented in film. It comes
from Wiley, a database given by TCC so it is reliable. It provides a good background
to the representation of women in film. I will use it to discuss how the negative
representation of women has continued since the 1930's.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
21
Seger, L. (1996). When women call the shots: The developing power and influence of women in
television and film. New York: Henry Holt &.
This book touches on many aspects about women in film, but primarily discusses the
role of women as creators and as authority figures in the film industry. It is a good
resource because it came from the TCC library. I will use it for background on women
in the film industry.
Seiter, E. (1986). Feminism and Ideology: The "Terms" of Women's Stereotypes. Feminist
Review, (22), 59-81. doi:10.2307/1394937
This essay focuses on stereotypes of women in media. It is reliable because it comes
from JSTOR. I most likely will not use it because it doesn't really focus on economic
impacts of stereotypes.
Shriver, M. (2009, October 16). The Shriver Report (Rep.). Retrieved November 8, 2014, from
Center for American Progress website: http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/issues/2009/10/pdf/awn/a_womans_nation.pdf
This report focuses on the role of woman in society. It is a credible source because it
comes from the Center for American Progress and also The Shriver Report is a very
respected report. I can use it to show the progress women have made.
Smith, S. L., Choueiti, M., & Pieper, K. (2014). Gender Bias Without Borders: An Investigation
of Female Characters in Popular Films Across 11 Countries (Rep.). Retrieved
September 30, 2014, from Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media website:
http://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/gender-bias-without-borders-full-report.pdf
This source describes the gender inequality in film behind the scenes and on screen. It
is from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and the contributors are from
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
22
the Annenburg School in USC so the source is reliable. I am going to use this source
because it has a global aspect in its statistic and figures.
Smith, S. L., P, Choueiti, M., Prescott, A., Ph, & Pieper, K. (2012). Gender Roles &
Occupations: A Look at Character Attributes and Job-Related Aspirations in Film and
Television (Rep.). Retrieved November 8, 2014, from Annenberg School for
Communication & Journalism University of Southern California website:
http://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/full-study-gender-roles-and-occupations-v2.pdf
This is a very in-depth study on the way women are portrayed as workers in film. It is
credible because it is backed by USC and the Geena Davis Institute. I can use it to
show the misrepresentation of women.
Smith, S. L., PhD, Choueiti, M., & Stern, J. (2010). OCCUPATIONAL ASPIRATIONS: What are
G-rated Films Teaching Children About the World of Work? (Rep.). Retrieved
September 22, 2014, from Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
University of Southern California website: http://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/keyfindings-occupational-aspirations-2013.pdf
This source discusses findings of research that show that women, although they make
up half of the workforce, are greatly under represented in film for children. This is a
reputable source because it is a study published by the Annenberg School for
Communication & Journalism in USC and by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in
Media. I can use the data in this source to discuss how the representation of women in
the workforce affects young woman.
Sutherland, J., & Feltey, K. (2010). Gender and Sexuality. In Cinematic sociology: Social life in
film (pp. 109-156). Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
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The section I am reading analyzes gender as a social construct within film and within
society. The source is seemingly reputable. There are a lot of citations and I borrowed
the book from the TCC library. I believe I can use this source to explain correlations
between economic gender inequality and film.
Tolentino, R. B. (2009). Globalizing National Domesticity: Female Work and Representation in
Contemporary Women's Films. In Philippine Studies (Vol. 57, pp. 419-442). Retrieved
October 11, 2014, from
http://ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct
=true&db=fyh&AN=44266965&site=ehost-live&scope=site
This article discusses the connection of overseas female Filipino workers and the
Filipino films that represent them. It's a reputable source because it comes from a
database from the TCC database catalog. I might use this source because it puts the
global aspect in my paper, but I'm still not sure about how it will strengthen my
argument in my paper.
Ulaby, N. (Writer). (2008, September 2). The 'Bechdel Rule,' Defining Pop-Culture Character
[Television broadcast]. In All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved December 15, 2014,
from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94202522
This broadcast describes television's underrepresentation of women and uses the
Bechdel test to prove this. It is a credible source because it comes from NPR. I can use
this source to explain what exactly the Bechdel test is.
Whitmarsh, L., & Wentworth, D. K. (2012). Gender Similarity or Gender Difference?
Contemporary Women's and Men's Career Patterns. Career Development Quarterly,
60(1), 47-64. Retrieved November 6, 2014, from
FILM’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
24
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&
AN=73387478&site=ehost-live
This study focuses on the differences between how women and men choose their
careers. It is reliable because it comes from a TCC database. I might use this resource
because I can show how men and women choose their careers.
Zeisler, A. (2008). Feminism and pop culture. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
This source discusses the impact of feminism on pop culture and the representation of
women in different forms of media, such as film, advertisements and television. The
source is good because it has a lot of citations and gives me more ideas of books and
articles to read. I will use this to show the impact of the representation of women on
women in real life.