Gender and Bias: Different Ratios of Gender

In the media, there is always criticism waiting for anything new that comes out. The way a film is cast is one of the first things to be questioned. I will be exploring the different ratios of gender, where they appear in our society and how they are perceived.

The ‘Smurfette Principle’ is where the main cast is predominantly male, with only one female character. It can also be applied to stories that have a lot more characters, as long as each sub-group has an all-male group except for one female¹. This is prevalent in films such as Transformers², Thor³ and Avengers Assemble⁴. In Transformers, Mikaela is the only main female character. In Thor, Lady Sif is the only female in the band of warriors from Asgard. In Avengers Assemble, Black Widow is the only female superhero on the Avengers team. These women are often thought of as feisty and strong, usually being given roles that are thought of as ‘male roles’: Mikaela is a mechanic, Lady Sif is a warrior, Black Widow is a spy. It makes women look stronger, but usually they are there because of another male. So they are not a ‘self-made woman’⁵, for example, Mikaela is only there because she is Sam’s love interest. Also, a lot of these films try to appeal to a male demographic, so they have strong male characters for males to aspire to and add a female to desire.

Some media producers did try to solve this however, by creating two main female characters in whatever franchise they are working on⁶. This applies to Power Rangers⁷, Yu-gi-oh! (Series one)⁸ and Avengers: Age of Ultron⁹. Usually these two girls will be opposite to each other in terms of personality, one being kind and polite while the other is sarcastic and selfish.  

Then there are casts with equal genders, such as Friends¹⁰, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe¹¹ and Saved by the Bell¹². This is usually done to appeal to all demographics, rather than just appealing to one gender in particular. They usually have a wider cast range and try to add many different personalities too, so a lot more people can relate to the characters.

And finally, an all-female cast. This is shown in Sex and the City¹³, Pretty Little Liars¹⁴ and Mew Mew Power¹⁵, where the main cast is filled with female characters. They also have a more predominant female fan base, with women being much more commonly inclined to watch it than men.

There are a lot more examples of the ‘Smurfette principle’ in the media than any other gender ratio. This leads me to believe that women will be more likely to be interested in a male orientated piece of media, whereas men will be less inclined to be interested a more feminine biased media. This leads to more one-woman programmes to be made, as it pretty much all boils down to the money they can recuperate.

Reference:

   (1)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (2)    Transformers, (2007)

   (3)    Thor, (2011)

   (4)    Avengers Assemble, (2012)

   (5)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (6)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (7)    Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, (1993)

   (8)    Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, (2000)

   (9)    Avengers: Age of Ultron, (2015)

   (10)Friends, (1994)

   (11)CS Lewis, (1950)

   (12)Saved by the Bell, (1989)

   (13)Sex and the City, (1998)

   (14)Pretty Little Liars, (2010)

   (15)Mew Mew Power, (2002)

Bibliography:

Avengers Assemble, 2012. [DVD] Joss Whedon, United States: Marvel Studios.

Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015. [DVD] Joss Whedon, United States: Marvel Studios.

C. S. Lewis, 2002. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1). Edition. London: HarperCollins.

Friends, 1994. [DVD] Gary Halvorson, United States: Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions.

Mew Mew Power, 2002. [DVD] Noriyuki Abe, Japan: Studio Pierrot.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, 1993. [DVD] Terence H. Winkless, United States: Saban Entertainment.

Never a Self-Made Woman - TV Tropes. 2015. Never a Self-Made Woman - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NeverASelfMadeWoman. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Pretty Little Liars, 2010. [DVD] Norman Buckley, United States: Warner Horizon Television.

Saved by the Bell, 1989. [DVD] Don Barnhart, United States: Rysher Entertainment.

Sex and the City, 1998. [DVD] Michael Patrick King, United States: Darren Star Productions.

Smurfette Principle, The - TV Tropes. 2015. The Smurfette Principle - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSmurfettePrinciple. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Thor, 2011. [DVD] Kenneth Branagh, United States: Marvel Studios.

Transformers, 2007. [DVD] Michael Bay, United States: DreamWorks Pictures.

Two Girls to a Team - TV Tropes. 2015. Two Girls to a Team - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwoGirlsToATeam. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, 2000. [DVD] Kunihisa Sugishima, Japan: Nickelodeon.