‘3 Body Problem’ Proves Why TV Needs More Women in STEM
08.06.2024 - 20:39
/ variety.com
Tiana DeNicola editor While numerous leading women representing scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians (STEM) have graced the screen throughout cinematic history, those pale in comparison to their male counterparts. Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” challenged this gender disparity and came out on top, dominating the charts for weeks. According to Luminate, “3 Body Problem” has more than 3 billion minutes watched since its March release and spent seven weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10.
While the show features successful women in STEM, it’s worth noting Liu Cixin’s book, “The Three-Body Problem,” did not originally include strong female scientists like Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) and Auggie Salazar (Eiza González). The book centers on a male protagonist, Wang Miao. Thankfully, the TV show adaptation chose to diversify its storyline by featuring female characters in STEM roles, moving away from a predominantly male-centric narrative.
In the series, the Oxford Five crew replaced Miao’s character, with the group being led by two women, Jin and Auggie. By changing the main characters, the show provided much-needed representation for the story and facilitated a richer character development throughout Season 1. This is a great example of how Hollywood possesses the potential to either sustain the gender disparity in STEM fields or contribute to its resolution.
Even today, women in these positions are not only underrepresented in the workforce, but also on screen. In February 2024, the Geena Davis Institute unveiled “Portray Her 2.0: An Analysis of 15 Years of Women in STEM On-Screen.” Ultimately, the report revealed a noticeable lack of representation overall. Per the study, from 2018–2022, only 38% of STEM characters on
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