A range of films and series about finance and investing from the past 15 years were analysed, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short, Margin Call and Wall Street
A recent study has revealed that approximately three quarters of screen time in finance-related films and TV shows is typically dominated by male actors.
The research analysed a variety of films and series about finance and investing from the past 15 years, including The Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short, Margin Call and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
The study, commissioned by trading and investing platform eToro, used visual and text analysis to focus on the main male and female characters depicted as financial experts. The findings showed that, on average, 75% of screen time was occupied by male financial experts, who made up 64% of the experts portrayed.
The research also suggested that male experts were often portrayed as more knowledgeable, confident and significantly more comfortable with risk than their female counterparts. Female characters were often seen “power dressing” in suits and heels to convey their authority or confidence.
While men took on the “alpha” roles as experts, women were often relegated to “supportive” characters such as wives or admin assistants, or were portraying strippers or mistresses. Dr Ylva Baeckstrom, a senior lecturer in finance at King’s Business School, who led the research, suggested that these portrayals of finance and investing as a pursuit for “alpha males” and a lack of female financial role models are both “perpetuating the gender investment gap”.
She highlighted a stark reality saying: “We all know that women earn less, invest less, yet live longer than men and therefore have an even greater need to build wealth to secure their futures.”
Dr Baeckstrom also noticed a shift in media portrayals with movies such as ‘Fair Play’ with Phoebe Dynevor and shows like ‘Billions’ portraying powerful female characters that reflect their skills, adversities and nuances. In the same vein, Lale Akoner, market pundit at eToro, urged for more female exemplars both in the media and real world stating: “There is a need for female role models both on and off-screen to encourage us all to talk more about money and to inspire the next generation of female investors.”
eToro has partnered with research business Boring Money to launch a campaign called Loud Investing to encourage discussions about finance.
