Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in many states this election cycle and is a critical campaign issue for many candidates. Media messages and political advertising abound regarding the topic. Yet one aspect of media has remained critically silent: top films. According to a new report, popular movies rarely contain depictions of reproductive health.

The research brief is entitled The Prevalence & Context of Reproductive Health Portrayals Across 100 Popular Films and is the latest from Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The brief examines the 100 most popular movies of 2023 for portrayals related to pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, contraception, abortion, menstruation, and overall reproductive health.

The results show that 42% of films contained any depiction of reproductive health in 2023. Most of those movies included only 1 portrayal of a reproductive health event, though the range of portrayals was from 1 to 11. Dramas (66.7%) and comedies (50%) were most likely to show reproductive health portrayals while horror films (21.4%) were least likely.

“For years we have provided data on how Hollywood marginalizes girls and women on screen,” said Smith. “This latest report offers further evidence that it is not only the presence of women themselves that is missing on screen, but of critical depictions related to their health and well-being.”

There were 4 mentions of abortion across the 100 films studied. Only 1 involved a pregnancy that was terminated — the others included a philosophical discussion of abortion, a joke about Roe v. Wade, and a comment about a directive to have an abortion that was not followed. Thus, the only depiction related to abortion involved an older women being tormented by a demon regarding a past abortion, referencing the procedure as being “scraped out… like a rotten pumpkin.”

“Abortion and access to reproductive care are some of the most significant issues in the upcoming election,” said Smith. “Yet Hollywood devoted only 3 minutes and 12 seconds to the topic in the nearly 200 hours of film content last year. The film industry has squandered its opportunities to depict abortion in authentic, informative, and multidimensional ways.”

Most reproductive portrayals were focused on pregnancy. Nearly two-thirds of reproductive health depictions included showing, implying, or referencing a past pregnancy. These portrayals occurred across 36 different films in 2023. There were 53 characters who experienced pregnancy, though only 51 appeared on-screen, representing 3.3% of all adolescent or adult women in popular film. The majority of these characters (60.8%) were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group and 39.2% were white.

Few teenage pregnancies were shown on screen, and the majority of characters were in a committed relationship (80.4%). Only 4 leading or co-leading characters experienced pregnancy in the films examined.

Of note, 8 women experienced violence, natural disasters, accidents or suicide that threatened their lives and pregnancies. Five of these women perished and 4 pregnancies ended because of attacks, accidents, and disasters. Only 1 miscarriage occurred in the top films of 2023 and resulted from an explosion.

There were 8 depictions of menstruation that occurred across 3 films. These largely took place in one movie, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, and involved the onset of menstruation. Seven films had a reference or depiction of contraception involving 8 characters. Most of these involved men and only 1 portrayal involved two characters navigating contraceptive use prior to engaging in sexual activity.

Five films had a portrayal of general reproductive health. There were 9 characters involved in these depictions, which spanned doctor’s visits, discussions of reproductive damage, learning about reproductive health, and even genital mutilation. Finally, there were two portrayals of infertility across the top 100 films of 2023. Both occurred in historical settings.

“At a time when 21 states have abortion bans or restrictions in effect, this lack of depiction of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, means that the stories and experiences of millions of people are erased from our screens,” said Caren Spruch, national director for arts and entertainment engagement at Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “The entertainment community should not only be using their immense power to normalize abortion and the whole range of reproductive health care, but also portray the impact of these heinous attacks on care by telling accurate and authentic stories. We have to change the culture to help change policies that would help advance reproductive freedom. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is here to assist directors, producers, and writers with their stories.” 

The report reveals one potential reason for the lack of reproductive portrayals: the low number of women behind the camera. Half of films with women directors included a reproductive health portrayal compared to 40.7% of films directed by men. “It’s no surprise that women in leadership roles are responsible for depictions related to reproductive health,” said Smith. “The refusal to hire women in critical positions behind the camera has ripple effects far beyond employment.”

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with the support of members of Women Moving Millions, announced four recipients of its Reproductive Rights Accelerator, a program that offered $25,000 to filmmakers to tell a story related to reproductive rights. The four filmmakers awarded through the program were Eve Chadbourn, Naa Adei Mante, Jenniffer González Martinez, and Hanna Gray Organschi.

The report is the latest from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and can be found here.