Bechdel Test Study

1. Gender Bias in Oscar-Nominated
Cinema: A Contemporary
Application of the Bechdel Test
Christine Ryan
Marist College

2. Nice to Meet You!
● Marist College Senior
● Communications: Advertising, Minor: Psychology
● Phrases that aptly describe me:
Movie Fiend (both old and new - no discrimination here)
Social Media Connoisseur
Frasier Crane’s #1 fan

3. Relevance and Objectives
Feminism is trendy. Women and men alike are discussing it, reading about it, and hopefully, altering their thoughts and behaviors
toward the sexes because of it.
But, how is feminism reflected in modern cinema – one of the most pervasive media outlets in the United States? Are feminist
ideals reflected in film at all? How glaring is the disparity between male and female characters? How do current depictions
compare to “outdated” depictions?
Curiosity Development of RQ

4. Research Question
If not men, then what are women talking about in
Oscar nominated films? How can these conversations
be characterized/categorized?

5. The Bechdel Test
● Origin
● Qualifications
To “pass” the Bechdel Test, a film must feature
1. two women
2. who speak to each other
3. about something other than a man
*Occasional fourth standard
Alison Bechdel’s: Dykes to Watch Out For “The Rule”

6. The Bechdel Test (Continued)

7. First Pilot Study: Method
● Bechdel Test (Pass or Fail)
● Analyze Screenplays
● Compile Themes
● Create Codebook
Primary Source: http://bechdeltest.com/

8. First Pilot Study: Presentations
● Presented at 24th Women & Society Conference, November 2014
○ First original research presentation
○ Encouraging feedback:
■ “The audience members (all professors) couldn’t believe the quality of the study, the creativity, and attention to
detail and spent no less than 15 minutes offering feedback, suggestions and praise,” (Dr. Jen Eden, Mentor)
● Presented at Honors Research Forum
● Presented to Communications Faculty (Communications Faculty Meeting)

9. First Pilot Study: Feedback & Limitations
Feedback
● Analysis of genre, screenwriter
● Box Office vs. Oscar success
● Male v. Female Directors
● Add: “What can this research be used for?” and “Predictions for the future” section
Limitations
● Reliability of Bechdel Test database
● Screenplay v. final feature film
● Unorganized data collection process
○ Handwritten note-taking vs. Google spreadsheet
● Codebook walkthrough & examples

10. Second Pilot Study
Stage 2 of my overall research process
○ Advanced data to be compiled as research paper
What’s New?
● Film analysis
○ I have watched and coded 18 films (since my Honors Forum presentation in November)
● Time Stamps
● Organized data collection and codebook examples
● 5-year analysis (2006-2014, odd years) instead of 6-year analysis
● Data visualization, Videos
○ Graphs & Tables

11. Codebook: Themes & Examples
Power Differential
Race: “Crazy Mexican! I call immigration on you! Look you do to my car!” (Crash)
Career: “I’m here to be fired, right?” (Up in the Air)
Familial Status: (Mother to Daughter) “Collins, we’ll wait outside. And don’t double condition in
the shower - you still have homework.” (The Blind Side)
Age: “I hope you’re not going to be getting under our feet today Miss Briony. We’ve got a dinner for ten to prepare” (Atonement)
Socioeconomic
Other Women
Neutral: “I’m looking for Miss. Tallis. Cecilia Tallis. Is she here?” (Atonement)
Positive (Compliments)
Negative (Gossip)
Physical Appearance
Neutral: “God you’re getting huge. How many months has it been now?” (Juno)
Positive: “You are so pretty. You’re exactly what I want to look like in 15 years.” (Up in the Air)
Negative: Putdowns/Insults

12. Codebook: Themes & Examples
Household: “Got a couple of errands I gotta run. Be back in an hour or so.” (Capote)
Shopping: “There are some things you must buy for us.” (Atonement)
Family: “Tell her how you were drunk the other night. Tell her maybe you’re an alcoholic.” (The Descendants)
Small Talk: “Oh, hi, Juno. How are you.” “Good. I’m good. Finish that paper yet?” (Juno)
Past: “It wasn’t like that. We weren’t movie stars like they have now…” (Hugo)
Religion: “It’s in God’s hands now.” (Philomena)
More:
Compliment (Physical vs. Non Physical): “So many of my friends would like to meet you” (Capote)
Sex/Love
Emotional Expression (Positive, Negative)
Education
Future

13. 2006 Oscar Nominees
✓ Crash (Drama/Crime) *Film Analysis
○ Winner, Best Picture
✓ Capote (Biography/Crime/Drama) *Film Analysis
✓ Brokeback Mountain (Epic Film/Romance) *Film Analysis
X Good Night, and Good Luck (Drama/Political Drama) *Film Analysis
X Munich (Drama/History/Thriller) *Film Analysis
⅗ Pass Bechdel Test

14. Crash: Non-Passing Vs. Passing
Non-Passing Conversation 43:33 Passing Conversation
Maria: Sorry I take your car, Miss Jean. I turn key to my
car but nothing. James wanted to take this to school,
but I don’t want the kids to fight over it.
Jean: Are these clean or dirty?
Maria: All clean, señora
Jean: You know Maria, just once I would like to wake up
and find these dishes in the cabinet
Maria: Sí, señora. No problem.

15. Crash: Notes & Coding

16. Capote: Non-Passing Vs. Passing
15:52: Non-Passing Conversation
Harper Lee: Nancy was your best friend?
Laura Kinney: (nods), Yeah, she was my best friend
HL: How has Danny been?
LK: Pretty shattered. Nothing terrible has ever happened to him before. Danny was the last one at the house that night. That’s why Mr.
Dewey keeps interviewing him. They don’t think he had anything to do with it, it’s just to see if he remembers anything unusual.
H.L: People in town do seem to wonder if he was involved.
LK: Yeah, that’s been really hard for Danny.
Truman Capote: It’s so hard when someone has a notion about you and it’s impossible to convince them otherwise. Ever since I was a
child, folks have thought they have me pegged because of the way...the way I am...you know. The way I talk. And they’re always wrong.
You know what I mean? (Talking to Laura)
L.K. nods: “yeah, i want to show you something”
3.22: Passing Conversation
Marie: So many of my friends would like to meet you
Harper Lee: Oh, that’d be fine

17. Capote Notes & Coding

18. Brokeback Mountain: Non-Passing vs. Passing
Non-Passing Conversation
Lureen Newsome: You’re a tri delt. I was Kappa Phi myself
Lashawn Malone: Well, even though we ain’t quite sorority sisters, we just may have to dance with ourselves. Maureen our husbands ain’t the least
bit interested in dancing. Ain’t got a smidgin of rhythm between ‘em.
Lureen: Funny, isn’t it. Husbands don’t ever seem to want to dance with their wives. Why do you think that is, Jack?
58.44 Passing Conversation
Alma Jr: Mama, I need crayons
Alma: Not now, Alma

19. Brokeback Mountain Notes & Coding

20. 2008 Oscar Nominees
✓ Atonement (Drama/Mystery/Romance)
✓ Juno (Comedy/Drama/Romance) *Film analysis
X Michael Clayton (Crime/Drama/Mystery)
X There Will Be Blood (Drama)
X No Country for Old Men (Crime/Drama/Thriller)
○ Winner, Best Picture
⅖ Pass Bechdel Test

21. 2008 Oscar Nominees
Atonement (5 themes)
Theme: Power Differential
Age (1)
Career (1)
Theme: Emotional Expression
Positive (1)
Negative (3)
Theme: Family (1)
Theme: Sex/Love (1)
Theme: Other Women
Neutral (1)

22. 2008 Oscar Nominees
Juno (7 themes)
Theme: Power Differential Theme: Sex/Love (1)
Familial Status (3) Theme: Small Talk (1)
Age (1)
Theme: Family
Positive (1)
Neutral (2)
Theme: Physical Appearance
Negative (1)
Neutral (1)
Theme: Emotional Expression
Negative (1)

23. 2010 Oscar Nominees
✓ Precious (Drama)
✓ The Blind Side (Biography/Drama/Sport) *Film analysis
✓ Up in the Air (Drama/Romance)
✓ An Education (Drama) *Film Analysis
X A Serious Man (Comedy/Drama)
X District 9 (Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller) *Film Analysis
X Up (Animation/Adventure/Drama) *Film Analysis
X The Hurt Locker (Drama/Thriller/War)
○ Winner, Best Picture
4/8 Pass Bechdel Test

24. 2010 Oscar Nominees
Precious: Non-Visual Depictions (Letters), Family (Negative), Emotional Expression (Negative), Emotional Expression
(Positive), Power Differential (Age, Familial Status, Race)
The Blind Side: Power Differential (Family & Socioeconomic Status)
Up in the Air: Power Differential (Employment), Physical Appearance (Positive)
An Education: Physical Appearance, Small Talk, Household, Other Women (Neutral), Shopping, Education, Emotional
Expression (Negative)

25. 2012 Oscar Nominees
✓ The Help (Drama)
✓ Hugo (Adventure/Drama/Fantasy) *Film Analysis
✓ The Descendants (Comedy/Drama) *Film Analysis
✓ Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Adventure/Drama/Mystery) *Film Analysis
X The Tree of Life (Drama/Fantasy) *Film Analysis
X War Horse (Drama/War)
X Moneyball (Biography/Drama/Sport)
X The Artist (Comedy/Drama/Romance) *Excluded from data
○ Winner, Best Picture
4/8 Pass Bechdel Test

26. 2012 Oscar Nominees
The Help: Other Women (Positive & Negative), Emotional Expression (Positive & Negative), Power Differential
(Socioeconomic Status, Employment, Age, & Race)
Hugo: Past Experience
The Descendants: Family (Negative), Other Women (Neutral), Power Differential (Age), Emotional Expression
(Positive)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: Emotional Expression (Negative)

27. 2014 Oscar Nominees
✓ 12 Years a Slave (Biography/Drama/History)
○ Winner, Best Picture
✓ American Hustle (Crime/Drama) *Film Analysis
✓ Nebraska (Comedy/Drama) *Film Analysis
✓ Philomena (Biography/Drama)
✓ Dallas Buyers Club (Biography/Drama)
? Her (Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi) *Female Character is Operating System
X The Wolf of Wall Street (Biography/Comedy/Crime)
X Captain Phillips (Biography/Drama/Thriller)
X Gravity (Sci-Fi/Thriller) *Film Analysis
5/9 Pass Bechdel Test

28. 2014 Oscar Nominees
12 Years a Slave: Power Differential (Familial Status)
American Hustle: Small Talk, Beauty, Power Differential
Nebraska: Other Women (Negative)
Philomena: Other Women (Positive & Negative), Religion, Small Talk, Power Differential
Dallas Buyers Club: Emotional Expression (Positive)
Her: Female Character is Operating System

29. Year Bechdel Test Passing Rate (%)
2006 60%
2008 40%
2010 50%
2012 50%
2014 56%
Data Visualization

30. Data Visualization
Male Directors Total Directors
33 35
Female Directors Total Directors
2 35
Female directors were no more likely to make Bechdel-Test passing films. Of the two female
directors, one movie passed (An Education) and one did not (The Hurt Locker).

31. Insight
● Number of Oscar Nominations has increased from 2006-2014, while percentage of Bechdel Test - passing films
has not
● Number of conversations between women has increased from 2006 to 2014
ex) 2006 - Passing films only feature 1-4 qualifying conversation
● Most common theme: Power Differential, Emotional Expression (Negative)
○ instances, 6 instances of power differential in first two years alone
● Male dominated writing and directing
● No discrepancy between screenplay and film in terms of passing Bechdel Test
● Bechdeltest.com says Brokeback Mountain and Incredibly Loud & Incredibly Close fail
○ After film analysis, I disagree

32. Challenges
● Screenplay v. Final Film (Film takes a lot longer to code)
● Computer-mediated depictions of women
○ Communication Faculty: “Remove Theme”
● Women “named” Mrs. ________
● Conversations that transition to men - disqualification or new category?
● Need for “double-coding” (ex. computer-mediated conversation & transitions to talk of man)
● Reliability of Bechdel Test Website

33. Implications for Future Study
● Who is initiating conversation in power differential conversations? What does this
tell us?
● How would results compare if the study was centered on highest-grossing films?
● Bechdel Test & Genre, Bechdel Test & male/female directors
● Theme: Non-Visual Depictions (Valid?)
○ Bechdel test doesn’t specify named woman has to be on screen
● Research is important because we are becoming more media-focused

34. What’s Next For Me?
● Write full research paper
○ Analysis of full 10-year period
● Create online database
○ Consistently updated
○ Sole researcher more reliable than user-generated reviews
● Submissions and Presentations
○ ICA: The Feminist Scholarship Division, The Visual Communication Studies Division
● Graduate School: Interpersonal Communication
○ Focus: Film Studies, Women’s Studies, Psychology, Social Media, Marketing

35. Questions?
Thank You!