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WEEK IN WOMEN: Gender Parity in Lead Roles in 2019 Family Films – Brandy McDonnell reports

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Gender representation reached a remarkable milestone in the influential family film market in 2019, with just as many female lead characters in family films as male lead characters, according to a new study from The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media.

Last year, 48% of the 100 top-grossing family movies featured lead female characters, according to the institute’s annual “See Jane” report, which defined a family film as any live-action or animated film that was rated G, PG or PG-13.

By way of contrast, only 24% of family films featured female characters in lead roles in 2007.

Along with gender, the study’s researchers also delved into five other areas – age, race, LGBTQ+, disability and body size diversity – and noted some gains, but there are plenty of opportunities for more progress. Continue reading on THE WEEK IN WOMEN.

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Brandy McDonnell

Brandy McDonnell writes features and reviews movies, music, events and the arts for The Oklahoman, Oklahoma's statewide newspaper, and NewsOK.com, the state's largest news Web site. Raised on a farm near Lindsay, Okla., she started her journalism career in seventh grade, when she was elected reporter for her school's 4-H Club. Taking her duties seriously, she began submitting stories to The Lindsay News, and worked for the local weekly through high school. She attended Oklahoma State University, where she worked for The Daily O'Collegian and earned her journalism degree with honors. She worked for three years at small Oklahoma dailies The Edmond Sun and Shawnee News-Star. In 2002, she joined The Oklahoman as a features reporter, writing about movies, the arts, events, families and nonprofits. She moved to The Oklahoman's entertainment desk in 2007. In 2004, she won a prestigious Journalism Fellowship in Child & Family Policy from the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Along with her membership in AWFJ, she also is a founding member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. Brandy writes The Week In Women blog for AWFJ.org.