Gender Neutral Film Awards - will it benefit or disadvantage women?

[Lessthanaballpark]

I was having this "discussion" with my DBro (he's one of those "I don't see gender" types) as one or two awards have taken down their male / female categories and we were talking about the possibility of the Oscars doing the same.

His argument was that it would then be a level playing field and the best person would win.

My argument was that it's not yet a level playing field because there are more roles for men and actresses get paid less anyway.

To which he replied that maybe women aren't as interesting.

At which point I eye-rolled to leave the conversation whilst he proceeded to say he doesn't see gender and judges everyone on their merits.

I'm crap at arguing and need your advice if it comes up again as it surely will.

Sometimes though I feel like it's the attitude that bugs me. This gleeful "see you wanted equality but you can't handle it" attitude.

Do people not want diversity and inclusion for everyone in public life or is it all a big competition?

Sorry for rant

Just don't watch any films that do not, at the very least, pass the Bechdel test. Two women. Who talk to each other. About something other than a man

Presumably that rules out all Jane Austen adaptations then?

Well to paraphrase the stock answer whenever men complain about not being allowed to enter the race for life...."You could always start your own awards ceremony" , one that specialises in women directors and actors and all entries guaranteed to pass the Bechdel test. :~)

Am I allowed to bump this? It is news.

Watson is the first-ever honoree awarded in the “best actor” category, which did not split up contenders by gender. In her acceptance speech, Watson said the award would mean a lot of things to different people, but in her opinion it said something about what it means to act. “It indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. And that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories,”

amp.timeinc.net
www.google.co.uk/amp/amp.timeinc.net/time/4770417/emma-watson-mtv-movie-awards/%3Fsource%3Ddam

I freely admit I find Emma Watson extremely irritating and not particularly sincere but setting that aside I think she is wrong here.

Yeah, I'm not an Emma Watson fan either (I've not seen her in Beauty and the Beast but in everything else I've found her a laughably bad actor).
I also think she's wrong here. I don't know the exact stats but they do show that most main roles are for men, most roles in general are for men, most dialogue is given to male characters, and most directors are male. Given how much better they are represented in the industry, I'd pretty much expect most of the winners to be men. If that doesn't happen and it's kept about 50% female winners, women will be accused of only winning because of a quota.

I also hate this conflation of sex and gender which seems to be gaining ground -or perhaps I'm just noticing it more now! I could have felt male as all fuck but it wouldn't have got me an audition for Maximus in Gladiator or Leo's character in The Revenant or any of the guys in The Hurt Locker or the king in The King's Speech.

Sex not gender is the bloody issue and the source of oppression and underrepresentation. If gender is just about feelings and what others think of us, that's easy enough to act your way out of, surely? Not so with those sex characteristics.

Maybe Watson has been taking her hints on how to be a feminist from Everyday Feminism.