“Barbie” against her will: – A catastrophic setback for women

A new study shows that the number of female roles in Hollywood films has reached its lowest levels in ten years.

Despite the success of the Barbie film, which grossed 15 billion registered kroner, only 30 of the 100 biggest films of 2023 had a female lead or co-star.

New figures show this is the worst result since 2014 Annenberg Inclusion Initiative a think tank at the University of Southern California that studies diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry, according to The Verge. Watchman.

This is a disastrous setback for women in cinema. Over the past 14 years, we've charted progress in the industry, and to see this shift is surprising and directly contradicts all the talk about last year being the “Year of the Woman,” says think tank president Stacey L. Smith. , Associate Professor of Communications.

The disappointing 2023 result follows a record 2022, which featured women in lead roles in 44% of films. The researchers conducting the study describe it as an “industry failure,” and that Barbie’s results are not sufficient reason for optimism. Recently, the Annenberg Initiative presented another report that showed that the number of female directors is also declining, making up 16 percent of the 100 biggest films — compared to 18 percent the previous year.

– This year's results show that the industry has become apathetic when it comes to efforts around diversity and inclusion.

But perhaps a clarification: the biggest box office success this year in the United States is the film “Mean Girls”, with a strong female ensemble, while in 2025 there will be a host of blockbuster films with women in the lead role:

“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” with Rebecca Hall, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” with Anya Taylor-Joy, “A Quiet Place: Day One” with Lupita Nyong’o and “Wicked” with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.