WOMEN had less than a third of speaking parts in the most popular films from 2007 to 2014, according to a new study that gives further evidence of persistent inequality in Hollywood, onscreen and off.

    The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism examined the 700 top-grossing films between 2007 and 2014 for the study, released Wednesday. The results, researchers said, reveal “a complete picture of Hollywood’s indisputable bias against featuring females, people of color and LGBT characters on screen.”

    USC found little signs of improvement. In 2014’s 100 most popular movies, 21 featured a female lead, about the same percentage as the 20 found among the top films of 2007.

    Behind the camera isn’t better. Of the top 100 films in 2014, two were directed by women. In 2007, there were three. Of the 700 films examined, three were directed by African-Americans.

    “By examining the trends over time, it is clear that no progress has been made either on screen or behind the camera when it comes to representing reality,” said USC Professor Stacy L. Smith, author of the study. “This report reflects a dismal record of diversity for not just one group, but for females, people of color and the LGBT community.”

    Character portrayals in film were also analyzed. For example, a character’s nudity, hypersexualization and age were all taken into consideration. The study also found that girls aged 13-20 were just as likely be shown in sexy attire or referenced as attractive. “We’re really seeing this focus on appearance and sexiness, the male gaze if you will, starting with a very young age for female actors,” said Smith.

    The study adds to a growing body of data that has illustrated equality in the movie industry. In May, the American Civil Liberties Union asked state and federal agencies to investigate the hiring practices by the major studios, networks and talent agencies, specifically in regard to the hiring of female directors.

    USC’s Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative has focused on analyzing the most popular movies in recent years, which encompasses most studio releases and some independent films. It found that among the top 100 movies last year, 73.1 percent of all speaking or named characters were white; 4.9 percent were Hispanic; 12.5 percent were black; 5.3 percent were Asian. None starred a female actor older than 45.

    This year marks USC Annenberg’s first comprehensive dive into LGBT portrayal in films. Out of the 4,610 speaking characters in 2014’s top 100 films, only 19 were portrayed as gay, lesbian or bisexual. None were transgender.

    Overall, those LGB characters were overwhelmingly male (63.2 percent) and overwhelmingly white (84.2 percent). When it comes to character portrayal, the study finds there was little representation of “healthy romantic/sexual relationships.” None of the gay or bisexual male characters were shown in a committed relationships, and no LGB characters were portrayed as parents raising children together.

    The study also states that a few of the gay and bisexual characters were shown concealing their identity.

    “If we existed in a world described in the pages of this report, we would have a population crisis on our hands,” said Smith.(SD-Agencies)

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    Solutions

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    THANKFULLY, Professor Stacy L. Smith has a few solutions for how to solve Hollywood’s homogenous problem.

    To improve gender parity onscreen, Smith said each top-grossing film should simply add five female characters. If that’s done, gender inequality could be solved in four years. In addition, it could have a bigger subconscious impact, able to “counter any sort of implicit bias when people are crafting these stories,” said Smith.

    If writers suddenly have to add five new female characters, it could radically shift the way they perceive a character’s potential.

    For the lack of inequality behind the scenes jobs like directing, Smith suggests Hollywood adapt the NFL’s Rooney Rule. It requires that the NFL interview people of color for available head coach positions. “When you hire a director, you have to think about people from an underrepresented category,” Smith says.

    Considering how gung-ho Hollywood is to give relatively unknown white, male directors a shot at major films, a modified Rooney Rule could help shake things up.

    To increase female lead roles, Smith simply points to the hard facts: Female leads don’t damage box office results. The initiative has previously conducted research on 2007 films with female leads and found that domestic box office results weren’t “significantly” affected. “Internationally, it actually made significantly more money,” said Smith.

    There are tangible options Hollywood decision-makers could take advantage of to push for progress. For too long, Hollywood blockbusters have catered to the same audience. Smith said it’s time to change all that. “We could create change in a much more strategic, programmatic way, rather than doing this report every year and seeing that the status quo has been sustained once again.”

    (SD-Agencies)