II. Read the following passage carefully:
Media has always been a pillar of social change. Films convey relevant messages on various topics, including romance, religion, family drama, and social challenges. They have the power to bring people closer together, yet they still manage to spread and support stereotypes that create underrepresentation. Instead of offering a realistic representation, films tend to encourage gender stereotypes in terms of personality characteristics, abilities and attitudes. Thus, both women and men are portrayed in a hyper-traditional manner.
Women rarely take the role of a leading character. For example, in the US, in top-grossing films shown across the country in 2013, women were involved in less than a third of speaking parts, and only 15% of female characters were protagonists. Therefore, the low percentage of leading female characters in the film creates an imbalance between our perception of women in film and their actual roles and status in reality.
One of the most common ways of portraying women on the big screen is by linking them romantically with the main characters. For instance, in Independence Day, there are three leading characters: the president, a marine, and a technician. These roles are played by male actors, while the main women characters represent the three love interests of the leading male characters. In this case, female characters can be viewed as supporting characters.
It is pretty common for women to be portrayed as someone who needs to be rescued. For example, during the 80s, there were few central female characters, and they rarely took the role of rescuers. Even though Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has a strong female character taking part in action, she does not save other characters. Another example is Ghostbusters, where the main female character becomes a victim of a ghost and needs someone's help. However, the film industry has made some progress throughout the decades. For instance, in The Lord of the Rings, female characters are shown as rescuers using their physical and intellectual abilities, which both break the gender barrier and show a new perspective of the female on the screen. Nevertheless, women's image as saviours is different from men's image of being a hero. Films still confine female ability to the sphere of love, sexuality, and maternal instinct. In contrast, the masculine act of rescuing is tied to knowledge and physical power.
Additionally, women are usually represented as over-emotional and powerless characters who lack ambition and are only able to have low-status jobs. Even movies targeting female audiences offer a disappointing and stereotyped image of women. The film industry spreads a misrepresentation of women, assuming that the audience has a stereotypical mindset and would enjoy seeing men and women have traditionally defined roles.
One of the main reasons why women receive unequal coverage on the screen is because the film industry is male-dominated. It is noticeable that the majority of films are written, directed, and produced by men, which leads to fewer opportunities for females. The film industry is also guilty of portraying women as glorified beauty objects, symbolizing sex appeal and entertainment.
Even though gender stereotypes are still present in films, the industry has started progressing. Due to feminist movements, gender stereotypes are being challenged, and more complex characters are being created for women on the big screen. Moreover, studios are taking into consideration moviegoers' demographics to offer diverse and complex representations of various societal groups and minorities.
Attempt the following questions based on the passage:

Question

II. Read the following passage carefully:

Media has always been a pillar of social change. Films convey relevant messages on various topics, including romance, religion, family drama, and social challenges. They have the power to bring people closer together, yet they still manage to spread and support stereotypes that create underrepresentation. Instead of offering a realistic representation, films tend to encourage gender stereotypes in terms of personality characteristics, abilities and attitudes. Thus, both women and men are portrayed in a hyper-traditional manner.

Women rarely take the role of a leading character. For example, in the US, in top-grossing films shown across the country in 2013, women were involved in less than a third of speaking parts, and only 15% of female characters were protagonists. Therefore, the low percentage of leading female characters in the film creates an imbalance between our perception of women in film and their actual roles and status in reality.

One of the most common ways of portraying women on the big screen is by linking them romantically with the main characters. For instance, in Independence Day, there are three leading characters: the president, a marine, and a technician. These roles are played by male actors, while the main women characters represent the three love interests of the leading male characters. In this case, female characters can be viewed as supporting characters.

It is pretty common for women to be portrayed as someone who needs to be rescued. For example, during the 80s, there were few central female characters, and they rarely took the role of rescuers. Even though Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has a strong female character taking part in action, she does not save other characters. Another example is Ghostbusters, where the main female character becomes a victim of a ghost and needs someone's help. However, the film industry has made some progress throughout the decades. For instance, in The Lord of the Rings, female characters are shown as rescuers using their physical and intellectual abilities, which both break the gender barrier and show a new perspective of the female on the screen. Nevertheless, women's image as saviours is different from men's image of being a hero. Films still confine female ability to the sphere of love, sexuality, and maternal instinct. In contrast, the masculine act of rescuing is tied to knowledge and physical power.

Additionally, women are usually represented as over-emotional and powerless characters who lack ambition and are only able to have low-status jobs. Even movies targeting female audiences offer a disappointing and stereotyped image of women. The film industry spreads a misrepresentation of women, assuming that the audience has a stereotypical mindset and would enjoy seeing men and women have traditionally defined roles.

One of the main reasons why women receive unequal coverage on the screen is because the film industry is male-dominated. It is noticeable that the majority of films are written, directed, and produced by men, which leads to fewer opportunities for females. The film industry is also guilty of portraying women as glorified beauty objects, symbolizing sex appeal and entertainment.

Even though gender stereotypes are still present in films, the industry has started progressing. Due to feminist movements, gender stereotypes are being challenged, and more complex characters are being created for women on the big screen. Moreover, studios are taking into consideration moviegoers' demographics to offer diverse and complex representations of various societal groups and minorities.

Attempt the following questions based on the passage: