There is still room for improvement: According to a study, the stereotypical image of women in films has already changed, but there is still a lack of diversity in roles for women.
Rostock – The visibility of women in German cinema has increased, but they continue to occupy less diverse roles than men. This was the result of an analysis by the University of Rostock, which was initiated by the MaLisa Foundation founded by Maria and Elisabeth Furtwängler.
Accordingly, the image of the woman visible in the cinema is very limited: “She is young, slim and is told in the context of partnership and relationship,” said a statement from the foundation on Tuesday. Men, on the other hand, have recognizable jobs, are sometimes overweight and are generally portrayed in a more complex way.
More lead roles for women
It was highlighted as positive that women are now almost as often visible as protagonists as men. In the first study from 2017 (analysis period 2011-2016), the ratio of men and women in central roles was still 58 to 42 percent. In the 2017-2020 period now under study, it changed to 53 to 47 percent.
According to the analysis, however, it becomes difficult for women from their mid-30s: “While protagonists become less common with increasing age in German cinema, this is the case for women from their mid-30s and for men only from the age of fifty.” , it was said. More than two-thirds of the central figures over the age of 50 are male.
“German cinema films now show more women in leading roles, but do not reflect the diversity of women in reality,” said the foundation. Prof. Elizabeth Prommer from the Institute for Media Research at the University of Rostock, who carried out the study, was surprised at “how narrow the narrative corridor for female film characters still is. There are many facets of men, but not women.”
The study also found that women are still underrepresented as creative people behind the camera. “They staged a quarter of German cinema films between 2017 and 2020 and were responsible for the screenplay in 24 percent of the 390 films examined,” it said. When a woman directed or wrote the screenplay, there were significantly more women visible in the film.
Actress Maria Furtwängler (“Tatort”) explained that she was pleased that clear progress could be seen in the visibility of women in cinema films. “However, we cannot sit back and relax, because neither the age gap nor stereotypical representations of the sexes have been overcome.” dpa
