Actress Geena Davis attends the Ford Motor Company and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media's YouTube #ShesGotDrive content campaign launch at YouTube Space LA on February 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Amanda Edwards)
Film viewers usually see less female than male characters on screen but that is changing quite fast. Actresses start to drive more Hollywood action films, such as Amy Adams in "Arrival" and the rebellious character of Felicity Jones in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Female protagonists like Adams and Jones made up 29 percent in the 100 highest-grossing films in 2016, as per a research by the San Diego State University's Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. The percentage is a 7 percent rise from 2015, according to the research center's official website .
The surge for female roles in films did not increase racial diversity though. Characters for Asian females doubled in numbers in 2016 but black females only increased barely a percent and Latina characters decreased from 4 percent to 3 percent.
The research result came out amidst gender equity and pay discrepancy between male and female actors currently buzzing the entertainment world. Oscar winner Geena Davis encourages women to create the future, and make themselves more visible. Such future is different from when she started with the film industry.
"I definitely had the strong feeling that I shouldn't complain," Davis told Vanity Fair. "And if I was having a hard time, I should never admit it because then that would mean, 'Oh, she's either in trouble or she's not as successful as we thought she was.'"
Davis added that women were not used to complaining in the past but talking about issues that affect them is just normal. However, several women are now done with keeping quiet.
Women in films are usually not depicted as equal in level to men. They are generally not shown as leaders or with authority. Oftentimes, female characters are younger than their male counterparts.
However, characters driven by women have made good box office when done well. Women are no longer limited to being featured in films as ones obsessed with figuring out how to get the man of their dreams. Furthermore, female-driven products connect well with the audience.
Recent successful films featured strong women and benefitted from female protagonists. Some upcoming comic book films like "Wonder Woman" will boast female heroes.
The following clip features female heroes in films:
