PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: CRACKING THE CODE: MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH {FIRST SEMINAR} {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented at The Paley Center for Media in New York. This evening, the first of two events, examines the roles of women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and the portrayals of STEM women in television and film. The evening opens with a clip package of notable STEM women from shows such as "24," "The Simpsons," "The X-Files," "NCIS" and others, after which Diane Lewis (Executive Vice-President of Programming, The Paley Center for Media/New York) offers opening remarks and describes Girls Who Code, the nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young women about computer programming skills.
Lewis brings Tami Erwin (Vice-President of National Operations, Verizon) to the stage, and Erwin discusses a Verizon advertisement that stresses the need for more girls and women in computer science areas, offering some statistics about the lack of gender balance in the field.
Lewis then introduces Reshma Saujani (founder and CEO, Girls Who Code). Saujami moderates the following panelists: David Bushman (curator, The Paley Center for Media/New York), Elizabeth Henstridge (actress, currently playing scientist Agent Jemma Simmons on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), Aisha Tyler (actress, television host and comedian), and Carrie Kemper (writer, "Silicon Valley").
The panelists touch on such topics as: Henstridge's interest in playing intelligent characters, due in part to her experience growing up with several female doctor relatives; Bushman's observation that the "normal" teen girl protagonists of shows like "iCarly" and "Hannah Montana" often sought out boys' help with science and math; the high number of female doctor and lawyer characters on television versus the number of STEM women; Henstridge's sense of the "intimate" relationship between viewers and television characters and how fiction can affect one's life choices; Tyler's observation that computers and computer-related toys were marketed towards boys only in the 1980s and 1990s; the "tricky balance" of gender portrayals on the satirical "Silicon Valley," which focuses largely on male computer programmers; the sole female character on "Valley," played by Amanda Crew, and how she is often mistaken for the assistant rather than the boss; Henstridge's interest in showing "the whole spectrum" of characters with different skills and smarts; the trend of attractive tech-support female characters on television and how Felicity Smoak on "Arrow," played by Emily Bett Rickards, has grown beyond that limited scope; the strong bigotry, particularly misogyny, present in gaming culture, despite the games' popularity with women; Tyler's sense that female video/computer game characters have improved greatly in recent years; how female gamers need to "vote with their dollars" to ensure a balanced community; the groundbreaking character of Dana Scully on "The X-Files," played by Gillian Anderson; how girls' interest in gaming often leads to an interest in coding; new and upcoming television shows featuring STEM women, including some "difficult" antihero characters; Kemper's experience visiting the Google offices with other "Valley" writers and meeting the many female employees; Tyler's view that girls are socialized to be "cute" rather than assertive, with comparisons to the male-dominated stand-up comedy world; how Joss Whedon, executive producer of "S.H.I.E.L.D." and creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is still often asked about his interest in writing "strong women"; Tyler's experience hosting the Ubisoft Electronic Entertainment Expo press conferences and dealing with sexist backlash online; Kemper's sense of herself as solely a comedy writer and not a STEM advocate for girls; the many female writers, producers and characters on "S.H.I.E.L.D."; and the importance of "doing something about it" when faced with inequality.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Henstridge's views of the "S.H.I.E.L.D." characters' flaws and need to work together; Tyler's self-created "Girl on Guy" podcast and admiration for film director Kathryn Bigelow; how the "democratization" of media opens doors for artists regardless of gender and age; millennials' lifelong familiarity with modern-day technology; the common use of female characters as plot devices rather than fully-developed people; the recent upswing in female-led stories, including "The Mindy Project," "The Hunger Games" and "Frozen"; and the positive economic effects of women's active involvement in the workforce.
Additional television clips, including scenes from "The Big Bang Theory," "Silicon Valley," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Supernatural" are interspersed throughout the evening.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 117702
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Diane Lewis … Host
- Reshma Saujani … Moderator
- David Bushman … Panelist
- Elizabeth Henstridge … Panelist
- Aisha Tyler … Panelist
- Carrie Kemper … Panelist
- Tami Erwin … Guest
- Gillian Anderson
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Amanda Crew
- Felicia Day
- Emily Bett Rickards
- Joss Whedon