A new study by researchers at AÌŠbo Akademi University in Finland finds there are still specific patterns in the personality traits of male and female characters in films consistent with societal stereotypes. These patterns show that men on film are more aggressive, powerful, dominant, and jealous, and women are more loving, caring, happy, and docile.
Popular culture plays an important role in shaping society’s perceptions and attitudes around gender roles. The film industry, which is one of the most influential media industries with an audience of billions of people around the world, plays a particularly central role in depicting gender roles.
In the study, researchers analyzed the manuscripts of 34 Hollywood films in a range of genres using mathematical and machine learning techniques, looking at how gender roles are presented and how emotions are expressed by male and female characters in the films.
“As far as we know, this is the first time that characters’ emotional expressions in blockbuster movie productions have been studied in greater depth. Although the female roles have evolved and been allowed more prominence on screen over the years, there are still many stereotypical gender roles beneath the surface”, says Sepinoud Azimi, a co-author of the study.
The full study, “Identifying Gender Bias in Blockbuster Movies Through the Lens of Machine Learning,” was published on the website of the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications. It may be accessed here.