Why Hollywood and the media need to step up and help #BreakTheBias

This year for International Women’s Day (IWD) I was invited to present on the influence Hollywood has on the wider portrayal of women in the media, for our client Ciena’s follow-the-sun event for staff.

This year’s IWD theme is all about Breaking the Bias, and advocates for a world free of stereotypes and discrimination. As I researched my presentation, I began to realise a few things;

• Women are massively underrepresented in leading roles
• Women are stereotyped in their roles
• These stereotypes spill into real world micro aggressions
• UN research from 2020 shows 90% of men AND women have a bias against women

This is very much a TL:DW (too long didn’t watch) summary of the presentation (it took 30 mins to get through) so in short I realised that Hollywood and the media are basically just giving us what we’re comfortable with.

Those clickbait headlines all about the dowdy outfit so-and-so was wearing as they popped out for coffee, how amazingly young and fresh the 40-something year old mum looks taking her son to football, how old someone’s hands look vs their face…

This is deemed ‘news’ and yet I’ve been turned down by a journalist for pitching an actual story about a technology that would further society and the world?

OK, when I type that even I can see it’s not the same scroll-feeding article that a piece on an older Hollywood actress dating a much younger man would be.

And right here is the problem. We are the problem.

In 2020 the UN carried out a global gender study that showed that almost 90% of men and woman have some sort of bias against women.

The "Gender Social Norms" index analysed biases in areas such as politics and education in 75 countries. Globally, close to 50% of men said they had more right to a job than women.

The study found that there are no countries in the world with gender equality. Nowhere on earth are men and women truly equal. That blows my mind.

There are some other statistics from this report that make for difficult reading, and what is apparent is the sheer depth and breadth of the gender inequality and bias problem society is facing on global scale. Still. In 2022.

Gender biases impact EVERYONE.

If showing weakness is deemed girly, what does that say to a man who may be torn on the inside and desperately needing emotional support?

Male suicide rates are significantly higher than female – this is true across the globe. Our biases are quite literally allowing people to die.

Male role models in Hollywood are often seen as tough guys, who work out their problems alone. The lone ranger, the hero of the piece who shoulders the burden and stoically never complains. I don’t even need to give the countless movie examples because you’ve all seen it.

This is why we felt our work with Future Men was so important.

There are also some excellent illustrations by comic artist Rasneth that really hit home about how sexism is hurtful to everyone – my one example only scratches the surface.

Life mirroring art mirroring life

My presentation was about how the way in which Hollywood represents women is impacting global media and in turn feeding our own biases. However, what I learnt was that, in truth, Hollywood is simply holding up a mirror to the world and showing us the images we’re most comfortable with.

Statistics show, movies with female protagonists perform less well overall. They can’t all be simply bad movies. The truth is, we are not comfortable being asked to face our own monsters and until we can face up to our own biases, we will not change the world.

Because as the statistics show, we are all biased. The challenge is to recognise it, even in its mildest forms. Awareness is the key to overcoming bias, in ourselves and in others and in turn, the media and Hollywood.

Breaking the bias

Try and recognise when you are being biased. That moment you wonder if the woman at work can handle the big project she’s just been given because she’s got kids…or next time you’re surprised that the successful company founder is a woman… or any of the other hundreds of everyday biases.

Acknowledging it in yourself is the first step to overcoming it and helping to beat it. Acknowledging it in yourself will also help you spot it in someone else. But then what do you do?

Let’s say for example you have two colleagues who both always leave at 5pm on the dot to pick up their kids from day care. One is a man, and one is a woman.

When Jeff (the guy) leaves, your colleague calls “see you later buddy” and maybe comments “he’s such a great hands-on dad”

When Janice (the woman) leaves, your colleague calls “don’t forget we need the reports for 9am?” and maybe comments “can’t she get a Nanny?”

Your response:

I can’t help but notice that you treat Jeff and Janice differently. You’re always reminding Janice what she still has to do in the evening, yet she’s never not delivered. Why do you do that?

I recognise that I sound like an inclusion training course right now, however the problem is we do those courses and then what? We met the compliance training, but have we effected change? No – not unless we put it into action. My practical take away is that you should try to avoid creating a conflict. All you need to do is present back to them the scene you are witnessing. A little like Hollywood. And you’ll be surprised at how impactful that can be (Hollywood is making a fortune from it after all).

And finally, be an ally. If you’ve ever seen the Fast Show you’ll remember the invisible woman sketch. This has actually happened to me, and I was left speechless, doubting myself. If someone else at that table had spoken up, “oh, Kate just said that” the spell of the invisible woman would have been broken. The power we have to draw attention to bias in a group setting is enormous if used effectively. And I ask you all to be brave when you draw upon that power – because it is scary speaking up even when you know it’s right. So be brave, and support and help each other navigate our way to a better future.

It is only by working together that we can help break the bias and change the statistics.