In the entertainment industry, women and girls still face inequality and non-inclusiveness in the form of the “Cinderella complex.” Regarding fictional books, movie plots, and television series, the Cinderella complex persistently assumes that women must depend on men for a happy, fulfilled life or have men rescue them. While Hollywood and literature have made some progress, they still woefully haven’t caught up with modern culture.
Persistent Gender Stereotypes of Women
In this context, women’s agency refers to decision-making, acting on goals, holding leadership positions, and participating in public life without repercussions. While our society has come light years since the 1950s regarding gender roles in fictional works, female characters are still lacking. The numbers don’t lie; An analysis of 87,531 works of fiction written by approximately 40,000 authors in the United States was conducted.
This analysis, by Northwestern University‘s sociology department, concluded that male versus female actions comprised 26.6% of the total, compared to 23.1% for female versus male actions. This study was performed by picking specific keywords and phrases while being double-checked by human eyes.
Fiction Versus Reality, Why It Matters
Oscar Wilde once said, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” So, if these stories aren’t real, why should anyone care? That’s a fair question, but literature often reflects reality. Impressionable young people read these fiction works and are consciously or subconsciously influenced by protagonist roles. Females are traditionally portrayed as passive, helpless “damsels in distress.” A modern example may be Bella of the Twilight series, but that could be subjective. Males are typically portrayed as heroes, saviors, and leaders.
The Consequences of Stereotypes
Female stereotypes in literature can shape a reader’s point of view by reinforcing and perpetuating gender roles and views. When female characters are constantly portrayed as passive, weak, and emotional, it can contribute to cultural views that ladies are less capable, less rational thinkers, and less worthy of power and agency. For a girl or young woman reader, this can be demoralizing. On the other hand, it may cause a person to challenge these stereotypes and preconceptions about gender roles.
Literature Is Ahead of Its Time
It’s worth noting that men dominated the world of literature well into the 20th century. However, a few famous male authors were a voice for females long before it was respectable. William Shakespeare’s plays often featured strong female roles, notably Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Leo Tolstoy wrote the novel Anna Karenina.
D.H. Lawrence wrote a book called Women in Love with a protagonist, Ursula. Henry James wrote The Portrait of a Lady, with the main character Isobel Archer. There are running jokes among authors that gentlemen can’t portray ladies, but this list debunks that theory.
Attitudes Are Changing
Changes are slowly but surely taking place. In the United States, 50.5% of all authors are women, while 49.5% are men, so there are slightly more female published authors, but the trend is quite close to dead even. In case you were wondering, the ethnicity statistics of authors are White 75.6%, Hispanic or Latino 7.6%, Black or African American 5.9%, and Unknown 5.6%. These figures came directly from Zippia Statistics and Demographics.
While female role models are still outnumbered, they’re starting to catch up, benefiting all readers. Young readers will be inspired, be more ambitious, and true to themselves. To further enrich inclusiveness, attention should be given to non-binary authors and characters as well. Fictional non-binary characters are vastly underrepresented, but the good news is they’re breaking ground. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Elizabeth Muir has won accolades with a non-binary protagonist.
The Takeaway
Even if a story is fiction, it does not mean it doesn’t impact cultural norms. When young readers identify with a strong female protagonist, it can help them develop their sense of self. Boys and men will be reminded that all perspectives are valuable. When you add inclusiveness, everyone wins.
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