Should we care if a film fails the Bechdel test?

The Bechdel test can be used to assess whether a film is gender biased. Approximately a half of the big productions fail this test. Should we care about it?

Sexism and feminism

Sexism is a widespread problem in our society. The Bechdel test was introduced to assess how gender is portrayed in popular fiction. The Bechdel test asks if a movie features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added. Many contemporary works fail this test of gender bias. On average, films that pass the test have been found to have a lower budget than others, but have comparable or better financial performance.

This test is a simple tool to spot sexism in the film industry, but it has also some limitations. For instance, some movies can pass the test and still contain abundant sexist content. Could this test be interpreted as covert way to impose a politically correct language in the industry? Is it feminist tool? Should filmakers sacrifice creativity to contribute to a less sexist society? Many different arguments have been put forward, but overall, do you think we should pay more attention to the Bechdel test results?

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