The financial proof (in one handy chart) that we need to do better for women in film

If you’re unfamiliar with The Bechdel Test, it goes like this: to pass The Bechdel Test, a movie must include at least one conversation between two female characters about something other than a man. 2 women, 1 conversation, not about a man.  The Bechdel Test was created by Alison Bechdel, a comic artist. Three simple steps that are surprisingly hard to fulfill if you look at Hollywood. Versha Sharma and Hanna Sender looked at the top 50 movies from 2013 and compared their Bechdel Test result with how much money each movie made in the box office, and then drew up this handy little chart to figure out which movies made the most money.

Guess what they found? First of all, only 17 – 36% – of the top 50 movies of 2013 passed the Bechdel test.  But, surprise, surprise,  “the grand total domestic box office number for the movies that passed [the test] is significantly higher than the box office totals for the movies that didn’t.” And by significantly, they mean to the tune of billions of dollars.

This amazing, informative breakdown via Vocativ

Do you hear that, Hollywood Executives? Maybe now’s the time to start seriously thinking about that Wonder Woman movie instead of just putting her as a supporting character in the next Man of Steel. While it’s great to have some financial evidence for women being on screen as a boost, it’s also important to note that of these 50 movies, only one had a woman included in the directing credits – Frozen, co-directed by Jennifer Lee.

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