Female Leads Finally Achieve Parity with Male Leads in the Top-Grossing Films of 2024

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In 2024, a significant event unfolded in the film industry: For the first time in a while, an equal number of top-earning movies starred female protagonists as those with male leads. As per Dr. Martha Lauzen’s ‘It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World’ report, an impressive 42% of the 100 highest-grossing films showcased women as the main characters, mirroring the representation given to male leads. Additionally, 16% of these movies boasted ensemble casts.

It seems like we’re seeing a downward trend when it comes to the representation of women in film. In fact, just 28% of the top 100 movies in 2023 were centered around female protagonists. This is a drop from 33% in 2022 and even lower than the 31% we saw in 2021. So, the question remains: Will this trend continue to decline?

It’s important to mention that the figures in Lauzen’s report are derived from only 100 films, which means even minor changes can lead to significant yearly fluctuations. However, data regarding speaking roles and significant parts, on the other hand, is collected from a much larger pool of approximately 2,000 characters, making these figures more trustworthy.

2024 marked a slight uptick in my observation regarding female representation in film. The proportion of female characters with lines rose slightly from 35% to 37%, while the percentage of significant female characters increased from 38% to 39%. Despite an increase in films featuring female leads this year, I noticed that there wasn’t a significant improvement in the number of speaking and major roles for women.

2024 saw several prominent actresses above the age of 50 stepping into significant roles, for instance, Demi Moore in “The Substance”. Yet, it’s crucial to acknowledge that ageism persists in the film industry, disproportionately impacting women. Men often have more opportunities continuing into their later years.

In contrast, about one-third of female characters portrayed are women in their 30s, but this figure drops significantly to around one-sixth for those in their 40s. On the other hand, roles for men increase from their 30s (25%) to their 40s (31%). Interestingly, there are more male characters than female ones in movies over the age of 50.

According to the data presented in the report, about 7 out of 10 movies featured more male characters with speaking roles than females, whereas only a fifth of the films showed a higher number of female characters. Interestingly, just 7% of these films managed to maintain an equal balance between the genders when it comes to speaking roles.

Over a period of more than two decades, Dr. Lauzen, who specializes in examining the depiction of women in films, has observed that 2024 showcased some of the most compelling female lead characters in recent times. However, despite seeing more significant roles for women, he points out that movies continue to fall short when it comes to providing a wide array of representations for women, particularly those in older age groups.

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2025-02-11 19:14