As the years go by, gender roles are still unequal on the big screen, according to a new study.
The latest annual report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University found that only 12 percent of protagonists in the top 100 grossing films of 2014 were women, reported The New York Times.
The study also showed that gender stereotypes were also very prevalent.
The report contained a list of findings from an analysis of 2,300 characters in 2014's 100 highest-grossing domestic films. It showed that female characters were more likely to support and help others, while male characters were more likely to commit crimes and get into fights, reported NYT.
"The chronic under representation of girls and women reveals a kind of arrested development in the mainstream film industry," Martha M. Lauzen, the center's executive director, said in a statement that accompanied the report's findings. "Women are not a niche audience and they are no more 'risky' as filmmakers than men. It is unfortunate that these beliefs continue to limit the industry's relevance in today's marketplace."
Age inequalities between men and women were also apparent in the study.
Female actresses in their 30s accounted for 30 percent of all characters. That number dropped to 17 percent when the women reached their 40s.
Men actors, on the other hand, showed no significant difference between the number of roles offered to them in their 30s and 40s, reported NYT.
The authors of the study saw the significant difference between men and women actors and suggested a rather straightforward approach to getting more women to hold lead roles in films - get more women behind the camera and writing scripts!
