The number of female protagonists in Hollywood movies is on the rise, a new study concluded.
According to Variety, research from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has found that women comprised 22 percent of lead characters in the top 110 grossing films of 2015. That might sound low, but it's still a six percent increase compared to 2014.
Women were also 34 percent of major characters and 33 percent of all speaking characters. These numbers both rose by five points and three points, respectively.
This increase occurred thanks to the success of female-driven blockbusters such as Trainwreck, Fifty Shades of Grey, Cinderella, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.
However, the study determined that despite this trend, gender stereotypes are still a major part of Hollywood movies. In the top grossing films of last year, 64 percent of male characters were depicted in a work setting, while this was only true for 44 percent of female characters. Women of color weren't represented particularly well, either: 27 percent of roles given to Black, Latina or Asian actresses were significant characters compared to 38 percent for white performers.
Finally, films directed by women are far more likely to feature a female protagonist. That was the case of 50 percent of the movies from women directors, but it was only true in 13 percent of the movies from male directors. Unfortunately, another recent study found that just six percent of movies are directed by women, as we previously reported.