Notion of progress : How does the image of women improve in the film industry?

THE NOTION OF PROGRESS :

INTRO/ The notion of progress refers to the fact of something going forward towards an advanced or improved version of itself. Along history, great progress encountered most of the time significant opposition because some people weren’t comfortable with the great changes they involved, which can make us ask ourselves : How does the image of women improve in the film industry? We will see that this social progress has continued and that many women have fought for equality.

Social progress was often started by a desire for equality and improvement of the living conditions expressed by some parts of the population in this case the women. In some cases they had to go through severe opposition and to fight for their rights.

In 1903 when women were still considered in Britain as second-class citizen, the «Suffragettes», an organisation in favor of the women’s right to vote was created. They campaigned through a lot of protests, sometimes violently, and went through a strong repression that put lots of them in prison. In 1918, after the First World War, women above 30 finally got the right to vote for the first time.

At the time of those issues, it seems unimaginable for the biggest part of the society to see women voting. In our societies nowadays those are completely normal facts, which can make us wonder about the time when progress stops being a change and becomes common.

In the movie "Suffragette", we can name some iconic characters like Maud Watts played by Carrey Mulligan, Emmeline Pankhurst the leader of the movement (wspu) and Violet Miller.

One day, Maud Watts, a discreet young woman who works in a laundry is responsible for delivering a package. During her delivery she finds herself in the middle of a violent riot caused by the suffragettes among whom she finds her colleague Violet Miller.

A few days later, the deputy's wife encourages women to testify in front of the parliament for the right to vote. Violet is volunteering but can not go because her husband violates her and so Maud will take her place. Maud will get involved more and more because her husband will adopt his son to show his discontent.

We see through this film produced only by women and a female majority that the American cinema this diversifies. Indeed, in an interview, Carrey Mulligan, retorts that this industry is very sexist. The female-dominated films did not necessarily interest the audience to compare to the male movies. He is also talking about the salary issue. The wage gap remains high between men and women. An CNN survey shows that men would be 42% more likely than women. She is still optimistic because many of the films about women are starting to emerge and a lot of stories about women are being produced. For exemple, in 2018, a film called "an exceptional woman" is released in America. It's about a lawyer who finds no firm ready to hire her because she has a child.

CONCLUSION/ In conclusion, the film industry remains very sexist. We can see it thanks to the pay gap, the confidence given to men is higher than for women. But Carrey Mulligan, remains optimistic seeing the rise of female-dominated films.

...