Research Symposium

BIO

I am a sophomore from Sarasota, FL on a pre-med track pursuing medical school. My research interests include public health, biomedical sciences, biochemistry, and film studies.
My current career goals focused on healthcare:
1. Gain a strong understanding of the healthcare climate and find my role as a well-rounded contributor.
2. Become a strong leader and teacher through serviceship and experience.
3. Learn and grow from academic and community spheres to prepare myself for the medical field.

The Relationship Between Gender Identity and Film Production: A Look at Female Bollywood Directors

Abstract

Around the world occupational gender inequalities are persistent, from differences in pay, choice of occupation, complexity of work, and career opportunities. When looking at gender inequalities in the workforce among different countries, they are often the consequence of societal factors like gender segregation and the underlying social structure which make certain inequalities hard to overcome. Specifically in the cultural discipline of cinema, gender inequalities are very prevalent and complex. In the Indian cinematic world of Bollywood, gender roles are apparent in both the workforce and the films themselves. India has a history of social stratification which makes it increasingly difficult for women with no prior links to Bollywood to enter the film industry. There are few female directors in India, yet these individuals continue to push the boundaries of gender roles in cinema, and fight against the masculinization of the industry. Despite the growing social awareness and activism against gender inequalities around the world, these directors continue to struggle finding opportunities for their movies to be made, and finding peers who they can trust and will support them in their journey. Through interviewing these directors, their individual stories will be compared through the program NVivo to manage, analyze, and visualize data. This project looks at the relationship between gender identity, and film production among female directors in Bollywood by transcribing and qualitatively analyzing personal interviews.

Keywords: Bollywood, Female Directors, Gender Inequalities