THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE U.S MEDIA 2015

Females comprised about one-third of major characters in the 100
most profitable films of 2014
Women accounted for 29 percent of the major characters in the 100 films with the
most box office receipts in 2014—a rate unchanged from that of 2013 but 2 percentage
points higher than in 2002. Also, women remained most likely to play girlfriends,
mothers and wives than non-conventional on-screen roles, according to “It’s a Man’s
(Celluloid) World,” a report written by Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center
for the Study of Women in Television & Film at San Diego State University.
Fewer of those female characters—who tended to be younger than male characters—
were black or Latina in 2014 than in 2013. The number of Asian female characters rose
slightly during the same period.
Films with at least one woman director and/or writer had more female protagonists and
speaking characters.
Also, the report found that of the total 2,300 characters in last year’s top 100 films:
Females accounted for 12 percent of all on-screen protagonists—the character
whose story is the film’s centerpiece—in 2014. That figure was 9 percent in 2013 and,
by further comparison, 4 percent in 2002.
Females accounted for 30 percent of all characters with speaking parts in 2014 and
2013 and 28 percent in 2002.
Of all female characters, 30 percent were aged 40 or older, while 53 percent of male
characters were at least 40 years old.
Twice as many male characters than female characters—18 percent versus 9 percent—were
in their 50s.
The number of male characters in their 30s was slightly higher than the number of
male characters in their 40s, with those respective figures being 28 percent versus
27 percent. The opposite was true for women, with 30 percent of female characters
falling into that younger category and 17 percent into the older category.
Historical comparison of percentages of women and men characters
as protagonists, major characters and all speaking characters
50%
Protagonists
Major characters
40
All characters
30
33
29 30
29 30
27
27
20
15
16
10
12
11
0
2014 2013 2011 2002
Source: Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film/San Diego State University
28
Graphic produced by the Women’s Media Center
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WOMEN’S MEDIA CENTER
The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2015 TOC womensmediacenter.com