Why We Need More Women in Films

In a January 2023 opinion column, Manohla Dargis, the chief NY Times film critic, told us that it was, “…demoralizing and alienating to watch film after film in which women watch men conquer worlds.” But, after seeing films that included Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and the legions of female warriors in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, ” Dargis sensed a pivot. Having cited women’s underrepresentation in films, she also identified a “shift in consciousness that has made feminist concerns mainstream.”

For the top films in 2024, she was right.

Women in Films

In 54 of the top 100 films last year, a girl or woman had a lead or co-lead role. Correspondingly, 3 of the top 5 and 5 of the top 10 had female protagonists. Equally crucially, with the lead in revenue, a female dominated film was #1. Because 2024 was the first time Annenberg could document gender equality, the year was historic:

By contrast, among the top 100 in 2023, only 30 of the top 100 had female lead/co-leads. And, for 2024, in other categories, the numbers were not as auspicious. For older actors, 8 women, 45 and older, had leads or co-leads in 2024. Compared to the 3 in 2007, and fewer than the 11 in 2018, 8 was much less than the men.

Leaping to people of color and ethnicity, the numbers declined from 37 in 2023 to 25 in 2024.

Our Bottom Line: Expectations Bias

Explaining the numbers, a behavioral economist would go straight to our expectations bias. Stated very simply, an expectations bias shapes results by connecting what we are used to seeing with what we create. It can influence how we act and what we accept as normal. In film it not only can perpetuate current jobs but also show us why men hire more men.

In addition, we could use production possibilities graphs to display the massive impact of the underutilization of talent. Showing less land, labor, and capital than film makers can access, the dot is far from the curve that represents the maximum output. Indeed, by minimally including girls, young women, women over 45, people of color, and all underrepresented races and ethnicities, we erase a huge pool of talent. We also sacrifice the benefits of having movies that reflect the U.S. population.

This production possibilities graph displays underutilization of the land, labor, and capital we can use to make movies:

My sources and more: Thanks to the Axios Markets email for reminding me to return to Annenberg’s Stacy Smith, here and here. From there, the Manohla Dargis column discussed (what became) our momentary optimism.

Please note that the Visual Capitalist created our featured image while all graphics are from “Inequality Across 1,800 Popular Films: Examining Gender, Race/Ethnicity & Age of Leads/Co Leads From 2007 to 2024.” Also, parts of “Our Bottom Line” were in a past econlife.