‘3 Body Problem’ Proves Why TV Needs More Women in STEM

Although countless prominent women representing scientists, technicians, engineers, and mathematicians (STEM) have graced the screen throughout film history, these women pale in comparison to their male counterparts. Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ challenged this gender inequality and came out on top, dominating the charts for weeks.

According to Luminate, “3 Body Problem” has been viewed more than 3 billion minutes since its release in March 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 revolves around a male protagonist, Wang Miao.

Fortunately, the TV show adaptation opted to diversify the storyline by featuring female characters in STEM roles, moving away from a predominantly male-centric story. In the series, the Oxford Five crew replaced the character of Miao, with the group being led by two women, Jin and Auggie. By changing the main characters, the show provided much-needed representation to the story and allowed for richer character development throughout Season 1.

This is a great example of how Hollywood has the potential to perpetuate or contribute to solving gender inequality in STEM fields.

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 overall representation.

According to the study, between 2018 and 2022, only 38% of on-screen STEM characters were female. When focusing solely on leading roles, the percentage dropped significantly to just 13%, with only 7% representing women of color – with shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” contributing to a large percentage of this statistic.

“It is a window into possible education and career paths [for women],” says Madeline Di Nonno, president and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute, about the importance of on-screen representation.

In 2023, the report stated that 72% of women said they wished there were more female STEM characters in movies and on TV, proving that representation is crucial for validating the capabilities of women and girls while inspiring audiences to imagine them walking similar paths.

Female scientists even contacted Hong after the broadcast to say, “Thank you, because we are never represented.”

Hong adds: “The more you put intelligent characters on screen, who are more than just an object or a pretty face, the more people identify with them. They actually want to see stories and people that remind them of themselves, and not some perfect, untouchable being, which I think is the history of women in Hollywood.

On which platform best represents women in STEM: “It’s always been streamed,” says Di Nonno. According to the 2022-2023 ‘Boxed In’ report, 50% of main characters on streaming platforms were women, compared to 46% on broadcast network shows.

The popularity of ‘3 Body Problem’ demonstrates the commercial viability of investing in stories featuring strong female leaders in STEM careers, contrary to the misconception that such stories have limited appeal. For example, the film “Oppenheimer,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2024, ignores Lise Meitner, the female scientist responsible for the discovery of nuclear fission, a crucial element in the development of the atomic bomb.

In a world where the portrayal of male scientists is winning Oscars, Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ emerges as a triumph by ruling the charts, proving that it should no longer be seen as a risk to have women in science, technology, technology and mathematics. leading roles on the big and small screen.