Too many women in powerful roles on TV

[deydododatdodontdeydo]

OK, so it's unrepresentative of reality, but what's the alternative? Not have women in these roles like in every TV program ever?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45803343
I firmly believe normalising women in these roles sends a strong message that women can do these roles to girls, women, boys, everyone.
Maybe it's a little like a show like Vikings having large amounts of female warriors fighting equally with males. Maybe not totally realistic but the alternative is another TV programme of all men.

Guessing you're a star trek fan, me too

Well, TOS was very much of its time.
Uhura was basically a secretary, Ensign Rand was there to look pretty and any female alien was there for Kirk to hit on.
TNG tried very much but was still a little clunky. Again, I liked the fact that there would be an Admiral in the show, who would happen to be a woman. Not commented on, just normalised.
I still think there's a place for both, though, but it can detract from the story if it's shoehorned in.

It's kind of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'

I think so too. I have been watching The 100.
The female/male split is about half, the women are leaders, warriors, everything.
But someone on this forum did complain that it gave the unrealistic impression that a woman could fight equally with a man - this happens in almost every fight, and the Octavia character can seemingly beat any man ever - and that it was dangerous to imply that.

I see what they're saying.

I think it's kind of bs to just pretend that women are in all these strong powerful roles, when it's just not true.

What I want to see is well-written, realistic women characters. That doesn't have to mean that they are presidents/pilots/CEOs and whatnot. It doesn't have to mean that they are kicking ass or being sassy or sticking it to the men every ten seconds. Just that they are well-rounded and believable. And not always victims/prostitutes/down-trodden mums with tiny bit parts.

Uhura was a black woman in a role on the bridge and that was revolutionary in 1966 USA whether you agree with it or not

Nichelle Nichols says that the amount of black women who came to her and said that seeing her on the screen working with the bridge crew as if it was normal, when they were little girls, was an unbelievably massive deal.

So you don't like it, fair enough. This thread isn't about star trek. But it was aiming for something - and yes it was of it's time - that most sci fi series don't even bother with.

Yes Nothing the very fact that it is somewhat unrealistic means that it is important that we keep showing women doing varied roles at varied levels so that we show girls that they can indeed be astronauts/scientists/engineers/police chiefs etc as well as teachers/nurses etc. Far too many girls still believe that certain areas of employment are not for them because they are girls. Drama is just that - a fictional story but it should be thought provoking and ask 'what if?' if it's going to make much of an impact. Simply showing the sex ratios as they currently are would just compound the current imbalance not address it.

Did I say they should show the current sex ratios?

I said it was an interesting conundrum.

I think it is.

Or have I misunderstood you?

duggees But I think a lot of people see that stuff on TV and think it reflects the current reality and that we therefore don't need to do anything more to redress the balance.

Meanwhile, in real life, girls are being discouraged from every profession because they're told from other people, subconsciously or otherwise, that these jobs are not for them.

No I didn't mean you had said they should show the current ratio Nothing, that was purely my waffle l. I agree it is a conundrum and I see the argument that suggests that showing the world as all shinily equal with women doing whatever they want does clash with the reality we (and young women and girls) see every day. I guess the dilemma is how to show that women can and sometimes do do these jobs without implying that this is how it is now and no more work needs to be done to improve equal opportunities for women. All while making a watchable hour of drama

Woah whoah, dont' be so defensive Nothing. I love Star Trek, and you are right about her being important for black women, and being pretty forward thinking for the time.
Her role did broaden out later in the films, but at the beginning she was basically a secretary.