Feminizing Film | data analysis of female representation on-screen & behind-the-scenes from 1888 to 2019

Introduction

The relationship between female representation in film and commercial film success has become an increasingly prominent subject of cultural and industry debate, illuminating how gender equity on screen shapes overall audience engagement and financial outcomes. As Hollywood and global film production companies gradually diversify their casts, industry trends indicate that films featuring more adequate roles for women may perform more successfully over time. To evaluate this claim, our project analyzes an extensive dataset encompassing film metadata, box office revenue, cast gender composition, and Bechdel Test results, drawn from sources such as IMDb, The Numbers, and the Bechdel Test database.

“By examining films across countries, this project argues that national film industries with higher average Bechdel Test performance and stronger female representation tend to produce more commercially successful films, suggesting that cultural approaches to gender equity shape economic outcomes.”

– Project Thesis

Our dataset, sourced from Kaggle, an established online community for data scientists, spans more than a century of filmmaking and provides a solid foundation for examining long-term trends in representation in relation to profitability. By examining films across countries, this project argues that national film industries with higher average Bechdel Test performance and stronger female representation tend to produce more commercially successful films, suggesting that cultural approaches to gender equity shape economic outcomes. Ultimately, this dataset enables us to situate gender equity within a broader historical and industrial context, revealing how portrayals of women on screen both reflect and shape the evolving dynamics of global film culture.