Activity Overview
How accurately do movies, television and other media represent age and gender? This investigation includes data from the Academy Awards, Logies and AACTA awards for the ages of actors and actresses. Students construct parallel bloxplots and scatterplots in order to analyse and compare the data sets. Students are then encouraged to research other platforms. There are numerous websites and organisations that also have information. The activity is provided as a Word document so you can add or removed content to suit your needs.
Objectives
Students investigate data from the Academy Awards™, Logies and AACTA awards regarding age and gender bias amongst award winners. What bias exists and has it changed over time? There are numerous videos that can be used to introduce this investigation, such as Miss Representation (2011). The content from the movie trailer alone should be sufficient to stir up emotions and encourage students to explore and investigate.
Vocabulary
- Parallel Boxplots
- Scatterplot
- Regression and Correlation
- Quantification
About the Lesson
In 2004 Geena Davis founded an institute to explore Gender in the Media. In 2011 Miss Representation (movie) was released, exploring gender in the media. This investigation includes data from the Academy Awards, Logies and AACTA awards and invites students to compare the ages that actors and actresses have won their awards. Students are invited to further their investigation by exploring gender in television serials or commercials. Be prepared for strong emotions as the data reveals what we are still consuming.