It doesn’t take a Netflix account or an expired Blockbuster card to
know that gender inequality in the media is alive and well. This is
exactly the issue that Academy Award winner and UN Ambassador Geena
Davis addressed at the Mashable Social Good Summit in New York yesterday.
In an interview with Brian Gott, Publisher of Variety, Davis shared
some interesting facts and observations pertaining to perception of
women and girls and the global impact that the media has on gender
equality. I had no idea that 80% of the media worldwide is created here
in the United States. That both amazes and terrifies me as I flip the
channels on my television. What messages are we giving to the nations
around the world about who we really are? It is that thought that has
motivated Davis to further her pursuit to increase the use of strong,
complex female characters to do the unconventional and unexpected.
In a 20 year study of women in the media, the majority of female
roles are not surprisingly stereotypical and highly sexualized. Davis
commented that, “The more hours of television a girl watches, the fewer
options she thinks she has.” Furthering this thought, Davis mentions
that 81% of characters in G rated movies who have an occupations are
male while the women who did hold jobs did not pursue careers in the
science, law,
medical, political or business fields.
As an ambassador for the UN, Davis believes that “raising up women
around the world will impact hunger, the environment and all of the
other issues that we’re dealing with.” Through creating a strong female
image, women will be able to do things beyond the confines of gender
roles and girls can begin to dream big.
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media,
continues to conduct the largest study on gender issues in film and
media. As a respected actor, she works closely with producers and
executives to bring awareness to this disparity and hopes to see real
change by 2015. With the slogan of “If they can see it, they can be it,”
Davis encourages Hollywood decision makers to cast more leading roles
to women to show their complexity and potential to young girls around
the globe.
Join Geena Davis and her mission to break down the stereotypes and help them raise money online using Fundly to benefit women in media.
No comments:
Post a Comment