Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis and communication professor Stacy Smith have released the findings of a groundbreaking study examining gender portrayals in G-rated films. The research project, led by Prof. Smith and conducted by teams of USC Annenberg graduate and undergraduate students, found boys overwhelmingly outnumbered girls as characters featured in films produced for children. "When my friends and I would act out movies as kids, we’d play the guys’ roles, since they had the most interesting things to do," says Davis. "Decades later, I can hardly believe my sons and daughter are seeing many of the same limited choices in current films." Davis is a founder of See Jane, a project dedicated to improving portrayals of girls and women in children's media. See Jane was established by Joe Kelly, president of the non-profit advocacy organization Dads & Daughters, which funded the USC Annenberg study, Where the Girls Aren't.
Read the press release
Download the study (PDF)
More about See Jane
More about Dads & Daughters
Stacy Smith's faculty home page
Watch the video of the briefing