Where’s the Dough for Women in Film? Ariel Dougherty Surveys the Scene

The telling of more women's stories is necessary to advancing women's lives. Regrettably, though, a mere 4.6% of Hollywood features today are directed by women. As a result, women have fewer speaking parts – 34% according to Dr. Martha Lauzen's 2015 annual report “It's a Man's (Celluloid) World.” And only 22% of the protagonist were women.  This leaves a huge gap in one of America's most popular exports. Is this really the picture people in the United States want to offer around the globe? For decades, film women have been working to change this picture. Especially since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officially took up a complaint over a year and a half ago, discussions among women in Hollywood and elsewhere have intensified. Why? In one such discussion with Selma Hayek at Cannes in 2015 she underscored,