Representation of gender in film

 

In the 1950s, films. almost always focused on male heroes. Men typically made the decisions which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant. Women had important roles in many films but were far more likely than men to be shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction,  and offering love and support to the male lead character.

Gender roles, on average, did not differ greatly from the previous decade.  The 1960s may have been 'swinging',   to some extent, but the impact on film scripts,  in terms of gender roles,  seems quite minimal. As before, it would be wrong to suggest that all women characters were shown as inept, or were always cast as housewives, but male characters were consistently more intelligent more assertive- and much more prevalent.

The 1980s, masculinity and femininity in films is often rather pre-carious. Characters are made more interesting by being imperfectly masculine, or slightly-different to what you might expect feminine, and the nuances of there gender characterisations are often worthy of some examination.