The annual “Thumbs Down” study from San Diego State University has found that gender parity in film criticism has continued to stall, and that has had an impact on how much visibility films directed by women get in the media.
Conducted by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, the “Thumbs Down” report has examined the racial and gender breakdown of film criticism since 2007 as well as the gender breakdown of the cast of the films critics review. The study found that 54% of the reviews written by women but 45% of those written by men are about films featuring at least one female protagonist, and only 14% of reviews written by men were of films directed by women compared to 33% by female critics.
The study also found that female and male reviewers of color remain dramatically underrepresented. 70% of female reviewers are white, 23% are women of color, and 7% have an unknown racial/ethnic identity. 73% of male reviewers are white, 18% are men of color, and 9% have an unknown racial/ethnic identity.
“The overrepresentation of men as film reviewers coupled with the fact that a higher proportion of their reviews focus on male-driven stories and films directed by men advantage these films by giving them greater visibility,” Lauzen concluded.
The survey analyzed more than 4,000 reviews written by over 380 individuals working for print, broadcast, and online outlets in January, February, and March 2020 and whose work is included on Rotten Tomatoes. Lauzen also analyzed those classified as “Top Critics” by Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of which are men. Overall, 65% of critics surveyed were men, with 35% female.
While film criticism is still a ways away from gender parity, progress has been made. The 35% share by female critics is an increase from 27% in 2016. Rotten Tomatoes, which has made efforts in recent years to boost the presence of female and POC critics on its site, has increased the share of women among its “Top Critics” from just 22% in 2013 to 40% in 2020.