Research Symposium

BIO

Emily is a first-year Honors student pursuing a dual-degree in Sociology and Psychology, with minors in Religion and Statistics. For her UROP project, she worked under Dr. Rebecca Peters studying female-directed Bollywood films and how their works are influencing the traditionally patriarchal industry. She is interested in studying relationships and race, sex, and gender in her future research endeavors. After her undergrad, Emily aspires to earn a PhD in Sociology and work in research-related fields.

Framing the Feminine: Exploring and Examining Female Characters in Bollywood

Abstract

Cinema is an important cultural artifact that both reflects and influences the society from which it originates. This research project analyzes the portrayal of female characters in Bollywood, a popular film industry in India, where society has traditionally held misogynistic views towards women. This research specifically focuses on how female film directors portray their female characters. Through a research method known as “film coding,” research assistants of this project gather quantitative and qualitative data. This method collects data of female speaking characters in selected films regarding their physical appearance, behaviors, and other indicators exhibited by these characters. However, preliminary findings showcase a trend of female directors defying traditional gender norms and expectations in their characters. An increased number of women are seen in professional careers and exhibiting socially taboo behavior, such as dating and drinking. Notably, 58% of female characters coded engage in taboo behaviors without as much scrutiny as before. In the future, the findings of this project will hopefully be useful to improve filmmakers’ representation and treatment of Indian women, both on and off the screen.

Keywords: Film, Gender, Feminism, Bollywood, Women