Sexism In The Film Industry

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Women directed just 7% of Hollywood's top 250 films last year and made up only 11% of writers and 23% of producers, according to The Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University (Colon 2015, prgrh. 2). Sunny Hollywood lies within the city of Los Angeles, California, home of the American film industry since early 1900s. 50 years back, sexism was a common and normal perception in the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that this manner inflicted the film industry in Hollywood. Nevertheless, since that time the world seems to have progressed, except Hollywood. In fact, the film industry in Hollywood is not at all reflective of the direction of which society is moving.

Most women in Hollywood that work in …show more content…

The Academy Award of Merit, in full, is a number of awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (Academy Award 2017, prgrh. 1) The Academy Awards was created as a recognition of achievements in the film industry. The award, a gold-plated statuette, is bestowed upon winners in the 24 different categories. A few days back, February 26, the nominees for this year’s Oscar were realised. Of all the nominees for directing, cinematography and visual effects none were women. In addition, there were only one or two female nominees for categories such as writing (both adapted and original screenplay), film editing, production design, sound editing and sound mixing. (The 89th Academy Awards | 2017) According to statistics, 17% of the nominees for the Oscars 2015 were female, which is lower than in 1930 at 22%. (Why Oscar is a Male 2016) Moreover, Oscar winners are even more likely to be men. One might wonder why the gender gap so huge? Firstly, all nominations and winners are selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. The voting members of the Academy are mostly white, old men, around 80%. (McCarthy 23.02.2015) The already existing influence of sexism and the overwhelming number of men, effects the result. Secondly, there are not as many known and famous women working in the film industry, due to sexism. Consequently, will the …show more content…

While male characters are powerful, strong and foreboding, female ones tend to be anything but. Often, they are stereotypically feminine – obsessed with their looks, dreaming of husbands, and used as pawns by the men around them.” (Sanghani, R. 23.09.2014, prgrh. 15-16)
When writer Amish Tripathi asked actress Sonan if she faced gender bias in Bollywood, she said;

“Though my father is a North Indian Punjabi, never once did he make me feel the difference between my brother and me. […] But when I joined the film industry, it was such a shock! I would give an opinion on something and would be told to behave like a girl and be softer else people wouldn’t find me attractive. […]” (Sonan admits there is bias against women in Bollywood, too. 25.11.2015, prgrh. 3)

It seems that sexism in Bollywood is just as bad as in Hollywood. However, if one compares the two, one will find that sexism in Bollywood is more direct than the mostly discreet sexism in

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