“Thumbs Down” on the number of women film critics
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, of which I’m a member, is offering an exclusive look at a report by San Diego State University’s Martha Lauzen that delves into the topic of film criticism and gender.
Lauzen’s study is titled “Thumbs Down: The Representation of Women Critics in the Top 100 U.S. Newspapers.
She examined the numbers of women and men reviewing films at the top 100 U.S. daily newspapers during fall 2007. Her study found that of the newspapers featuring film reviews, 47 percent had no reviews written by women critics, writers or freelancers. In contrast, only 12 percent had no reviews written by men critics, writers or freelancers.
I’m kind of surprised that the numbers aren’t more inequitable.
Mostly, I’m happy that The Oklahoman is among the newspapers with a women among its critics, and I’m not just saying that because I happen to be that person. Before I became a full-time reviewer (I was a fill-in for about five years), one of my mentors, Sandi Davis, was contributing a woman’s point of view in film reviews.
I just think it helps to have a variety of viewpoints examining films for the readers in their communities.
To visit the AWFJ site and see the full report, click here.
-BAM
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