Few Films Tackle Reproductive Health, USC Annenberg Study Finds — 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' Leads the Handful That Do

10/30/2024 10:00 AM

Women’s reproductive health is rarely depicted in movies, according to a new report from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.

A new research brief from Dr. Stacy L. Smith, who founded the Institute, looked at the 100 most popular movies of 2023 for portrayals related to pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, contraception, abortion, menstruation, and overall reproductive health. 

"For years we have provided data on how Hollywood marginalizes girls and women on screen," said Dr. Smith in a statement shared with TheWrap. "This latest report offers further evidence that it is not only the presence of women themselves that is missing on screen, but of critical depictions related to their health and well-being."

The results show that only 42% of films contained any depiction of reproductive health in 2023. There were 8 depictions of menstruation, most of them in 
Kelly Fremon Craig’s “Are You There God? It's Me Margaret,” which was based on the classic book by Judy Blume.

"Abortion and access to reproductive care are some of the most significant issues in the upcoming election," said Smith. "Yet Hollywood devoted only 3 minutes and 12 seconds to the topic in the nearly 200 hours of film content last year. The film industry has squandered its opportunities to depict abortion in authentic, informative, and multidimensional ways."

Half of films with women directors included a reproductive health portrayal compared to 40.7% of films directed by men. "It's no surprise that women in leadership roles are responsible for depictions related to reproductive health," said Smith. "The refusal to hire women in critical positions behind the camera has ripple effects far beyond employment."

Pregnancy was featured or mentioned in 36 out of the 100 films with 53 pregnant characters, two of whom were never shown on-screen. The majority of these characters, 60.8%, were from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group and 39.2% were white , the study found.

Broken out by genre, the study found that dramas (66.7%) and comedies (50%) were most likely to show reproductive health portrayals, while horror films — at least in 2023 —  were least likely with only 21.4%.

The 2024 study should see a spike in the horror category given the the plethora of “nun giving birth to the antichrist” films, including “Immaculate” and “The First Omen.”

As for the issue of abortion: Only 4 out of the 100 films mentioned it, including what the study calls a philosophical discussion of abortion” and “a joke about Roe v. Wade.”

There was also the scene in “The Exorcist: Believer” when Ann Dowd’s character is being tormented by a demon who refers to the past procedure as being "scraped out… like a rotten pumpkin."

Pregnant characters tended to be in the background, with only 4 leading or co-leading characters out of 100 shown as expecting and only five films featured discussions of reproductive damage or visits to doctors. There were two portrayals of infertility in the top 100 films of 2023: Both occurred in historical settings. 

"At a time when 21 states have abortion bans or restrictions in effect, this lack of depiction of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, means that the stories and experiences of millions of people are erased from our screens," said Caren Spruch, national director for arts and entertainment engagement at Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

She urged the entertainment community to use “their immense power” to “normalize abortion and the whole range of reproductive health care.”Spurch added, “We have to change the culture to help change policies that would help advance reproductive freedom,” noting that the Planned Parenthood Action Fund is available to assist directors, producers and writers.

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative also announced four recipients — Eve Chadbourn, Naa Adei Mante, Jenniffer González Martinez, and Hanna Gray Organschi — of its Reproductive Rights Accelerator, a program that offered $25,000 to filmmakers to tell a story related to reproductive rights.

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