by Lansia Wann
Ladies all across the world.
Listen up. We’re looking for recruits.
Did you know that women account for the majority of the movie-going public (52 percent) and the theatre-going audience (67 percent)? Yet, they only represented 4 percent of directors, 11 percent of writers, and 19 percent of producers in the top grossing films of 2016. When Melissa McCarthy co-wrote, produced and starred in a film, the New York Times called it “a vanity project” rather than “producing.” Of the 86 Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatic plays, only 15 were written (in full or in part) by women. Across television platforms, females only account for 42 percent of all speaking roles and, similarly, only 42 percent of major characters on broadcast network, cable and streaming programs. Moreover, female characters in television were generally younger than male counterparts and more likely to be identified by marital status rather than seen working or at work (as men were often represented on television).
Graph from the Bechdel test. Click the image for more info.
Have I got you riled up? Maybe a little? Well, come support women in theatre and explore gender inequality with us as we present a look at sexism. Wendy Weiner examines the pressures of women in Hollywood with Perpetual Girl in our Play-by-Play series. Don’t miss it this Friday and Saturday!
If you with me, lemme see your hands.
Stand up and salute.
