How often do you see women portrayed as the ‘comedic relief?’ While it may not be true, we are all aware of the common stereotype portrayed with women not being as funny as men. Statistics from the Chicago Reader prove that the numbers of men versus women (or gender non-conforming individuals) in comedy are disproportionate, with a majority of live-comedy bookings going to men.
The field of comedy itself has continued to be dominated by men. Regardless of the producer’s genders, the study with Chicago Reader found that the field of comedic entertainment as a whole mostly consisted of men. Even in my own experience, it was a lot more difficult for women with the same theatrical training in high school to receive as many laughs as their male counterparts. Why is this?
Caitlin Moran, the writer of the British sitcom “Raised by Wolves,” was denied the show simply because they “already had a sitcom led by women” on this station. While she eventually worked her way up, this was not a simple process. The company British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) claimed in 2014 that they would no longer have all-male panel shows and made it mandatory to have at least one female member in the future.
With this being said, in 2019, BBC posted an article pertaining to a study proving that men are funnier than women. Some claimed in this study that men with evolution had to prove themselves worthy of comedy to impress women. Many women in comedy took offense to this study while saying they could have done something “more productive” in dismantling this stereotype instead of trying to scientifically prove that women have no comedic value.
A common question women in comedy receive often is, “What’s it like to be a woman in comedy?” For any female in the industry, they have found themselves answering this question frequently. A response that stood out to me was one by Phoebe Robinson, who says, “I don’t want to validate that stupid a** question. People get so hung up on gender, sexuality and race, and they don’t want to see you as creative as they might, say, Jerry Seinfield.”
Lauren Lapkus, who was most recently seen in “The Wrong Missy,” spoke with Sam Jones on the Off-Camera Show. Jones questions why you must fully commit to a character in comedy to succeed.
Gender roles come up in Lapkus’ interview, and she was asked if people did not want to see the ‘gross’ sides of women. She admitted that she did not care about how “gross or weird” she was, but as she grew up, she became more aware of this and how she could be perceived because of it. She found her true joy in embracing this factor as an individual in her work, as her sense of humor is to explore her abnormalities.
Recent films such as the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, “Bridesmaids,” “The Wrong Missy” and “Oceans 8” efficiently showcase women in more comedic roles. As someone who strives to find work in this industry, seeing this representation in a male-dominated field is a very uplifting sentiment.
The media is getting better at working through these stereotypes with more female-induced comedy, but there is still so much work to be done. The system itself is based on sexist ideologies, and they cater to male-identifying individuals. Female comedians deserve the same recognition that male comedians receive. Acknowledging that this stereotype is false is the first step to allowing this: learn to appreciate female-identifying comedians (or even just women in the real world) and know that they work just as hard as anybody else in the industry.