Gender Pay Gap & Film Portrayals of Women Overall Findings from Literature: 1. GENDER PAY GAP: factors contributing are occupational choice, work patterns, demographic characteristics, gender discrimination a. Social & societal changes must be made for gender pay gap to be eliminated b. Young people are shocked by pay gap’s existence & find it unacceptable c. Lack of awareness of the issue perpetuates it, discrimination is often ignored — by the victim & the perpetrator 2. FEMININE MYSTIQUE: “the problem that had no name” a. Housewife image became a staple in the marketing/advertising industry — became ingrained in American capitalism b. women felt the need for a deeper and larger purpose outside of the home c. A goal of feminism: “transform representations of women, bringing in more diverse, positive image to young girls and women.” 3. WOMEN IN FILMS/TV: a. for 40 of the most popular prime-time TV shows, women were portrayed as thinner and younger than their male counterparts — illustrates that women’s primary value lies in physicality b. films are representative of culture and because of this, often themes in films tend to both draw from the past and dictate the future of society. Conclusion

These pieces of literature demonstrate that although many of the factors of the gender wage gap have been explained, the root of the present discrimination still remains unknown. Films have been analyzed from the perspective of portrayals, but they have not been discussed much in regard to how they have affected present day gender discrimination or the glass ceiling. Research Questions:

1. How has the media/films overtime created and perpetuated the norm and status quo for women in the

workforce?

2. What is the current mindset of young women on women in the workforce, the gender pay gap and the

glass ceiling?

3. Much of the research acknowledges that a main factor in the perpetuation of the gender pay gap is bias

and sex-based discrimination, but what is the root of this bias?

4. How have women in positions of power in particular been portrayed in films? Could this be why many

women choose to opt out of partner positions by individual choice? Research Findings: Survey 1. 63% of respondents had mothers who worked full time most of their lives 2. 88% of respondents plan to be in the workforce for most of their lives 3. 70% of respondents said their father is the “breadwinner” 4. 52% of respondents said they knew 1-3 women working in high-level positions, 30% said they knew 0 and 18% said they knew more than 3 5. 79% of respondents said they thought Miranda Priestly would’ve been portrayed differently if she were a man 6. They explained why… 7. Words people hear to describe women in high level positions: bossy, cold, bad mother 8. 92% respondents felt women’s portrayals in the workforce in films has affected real life 9. 92% respondents believe in the existence of the gender pay gap Research Findings: Film Analyses

Main Theme: women in power portrayed as cold, ruthless, bitchy & with personal life in shambles

Movies Analyzed:

- Devil Wears Prada - Miranda Priestly, Andy Sacs - The Holiday - Amanda (Cameron Diaz) - The Proposal - Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) - The Intern - Jules Austen (Anne Hathaway)