In this series of videos, I'm reviewing the various stereotypes of female scientists that
appear in film and illustrate with a couple of examples from the movies.
In the last video, we looked at the Lonely Heroine.
Let's now consider the Daughter or Assistant stereotype.
This female scientist type is always portrayed in a subordinate relationship with a male
character, typically another scientist.
One example of the Assistant stereotype is the character Dr. Ellie Sattler, played by
Laura Dern, in Jurassic Park.
Sattler is a paleobotanist and assistant to her lover and famous dinosaur expert, Dr.
Allan Grant, played by Sam Neill.
Grant is the leader of a research program searching for dinosaur fossils in Montana,
and Sattler appears to be a member of his team.
The unspoken implication is that she holds a high position in the team's scientific hierarchy
due in part to her personal relationship with Grant.
Grant and Sattler are invited by John Hammond to visit his new theme park to hopefully rubber
stamp the whole operation.
Not surprisingly things don't go well during their site visit to Jurassic Park.
However, in addition to action scenes involving failing emergency systems and rampaging dinosaurs,
the movie explores human interactions, including the relationship between Grant and Sattler.
Sattler's role as girlfriend, for example, is emphasized in a scene between Grant and
the other alpha male scientist, Ian Malcolm, who has been blatantly flirting with Sattler.
Grant reacts jealously to Malcolm's attention, but their verbal sparring is soon interrupted
by a bigger threat-a T. rex that has escaped its paddock.
Despite the implied nepotism, the movie shows the Sattler character to be smart, driven,
outspoken, and an expert in her own right.
When Hammond suggests he go into a dangerous situation instead of Sattler, she replies...
So in Jurassic Park, the female scientist is depicted as technically subordinate to
but intellectually and emotionally superior to the alpha male characters.
In movies, the female assistant's task is to provide sexual satisfaction for the successful
male scientist.
That's often the main role of the female character in such films, which is the case in the 1992
movie, Medicine Man.
Dr. Robert Campbell, played by Sean Connery, is a biochemist sent to the Amazonian rainforest
by a pharmaceutical company.
But conducting research in the jungle can be challenging, especially if you are a misogynist
and are sent a female assistant instead of the gas chromatograph you requested.
Campbell has discovered the cure for cancer but has somehow failed to write down the formula
for the serum.
Dr. Rae Crane, played by Lorraine Bracco, is the female assistant who acts as the movie's
conscience, but also ultimately fulfills the sexual role of the female assistant.
In this movie, Crane is not only the assistant, but is also young enough to be Campbell's
daughter, which also fits this stereotype.
In reality, Crane has been sent to check up on Campbell and to determine if the company
should continue funding him.
Various silly episodes ensue, but in the end Campbell and Crane develop a romantic connection.
Crane then agrees to approve Campbell's request for new equipment in exchange for co-credit
for the cancer cure--an outcome perhaps meant to justify the sexual favors.
To sum up, the female assistant stereotype displayed in films can be an expert in her
own right and is often smarter and more socially aware than the alpha male scientist.
Certainly a better depiction than some of the other stereotypes we've examined in this
series.
She is still flawed, however, in being portrayed as second fiddle to the male scientist or
in need of his help to be successful as a scientist.
The underlying message in films that feature the female assistant is often that her professional
success would not occur unless she exchanges sexual favors for it.
This depiction does not, of course, reflect reality for most working female scientists
today.
However, this myth persists and undermines society's perception of what it takes for
a woman to succeed in science.
In the next video, we'll take a look at the fifth female stereotype in this series, the
naive expert.
For more information on the research behind female stereotypes in the cinema, please see
the references I've included at the end of this video.