SNL is Sexist

[Chris]

Now here is a clear case of sexism supported by actual data.

This Graph Shows The Gender Composition Of 'SNL' Sketches Over Time

As women in Hollywood come forward with accounts of being assaulted and harassed at work, here's a slightly less depressing reminder of how sexism functions in the entertainment industry. Programmer Colin Morris used data from snldb to graph the proportion of men and women in "Saturday Night Live" sketches over time (not counting the host):



Morris points out that women's underrepresentation in sketches is largely predicted by their underrepresentation in the cast. Women have never made up more than half of the "SNL" cast, and their representation has often hovered closer to 25%.



...

He points to exceptions:

1. The early years (Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman)
2. The mid-to-late-90’s (Molly Shannon, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer)
3. The era of funny women from Chicago (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch), plus Maya Rudolph, and later Kristen Wiig (whose tenure on the show almost comprises an era of its own).
4. The modern era (Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant)

[rcfieldz]

Well blame Clinton for not getting elected.

[Chris]

Yea, she would've fixed SNL.

[Adelaide]

I find that many of the female SNL cast members are more versatile, which would account for why they don't make up half or a majority of the cast. Look at people like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon... They are also more notable/memorable than many of the male cast members. Off the top of my head, I can name maybe 5 current SNL cast members, and 4 of those are women. In the past, there have been a ton of great male cast members but currently? The women are stealing the show, even if they don't have the most skits.

[rcfieldz]

I find that many of the female SNL cast members are more versatile, which would account for why they don't make up half or a majority of the cast. Look at people like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon... They are also more notable/memorable than many of the male cast members. Off the top of my head, I can name maybe 5 current SNL cast members, and 4 of those are women. In the past, there have been a ton of great male cast members but currently? The women are stealing the show, even if they don't have the most skits.

I kinda agree.

[Standing Wolf]

I find that many of the female SNL cast members are more versatile, which would account for why they don't make up half or a majority of the cast. Look at people like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon... They are also more notable/memorable than many of the male cast members. Off the top of my head, I can name maybe 5 current SNL cast members, and 4 of those are women. In the past, there have been a ton of great male cast members but currently? The women are stealing the show, even if they don't have the most skits.

Kate McKinnon is amazing. In the best of times, there seems to have been at least one SNL cast member who was like a chameleon and could be thrown into virtually any situation and be really funny. Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Phil Hartman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig are good examples of that quality - Hartman and Wiig in particular. McKinnon can do anything.

As for the premise that there is some assumed "sexism" to be found because there are currently, and have in the past been, fewer women in the cast, I don't think that's necessarily warranted. Many diverse factors play into a situation like that, but mainly its a matter of who the audience does or doesn't think is funny - not to mention who decides to leave the show (Tina Fey, Kristin Wiig, Amy Poehler) to pursue other opportunities . Currently, as Adelaide has pointed out, the women on the show rule. The Naked and Afraid parody with Leslie Jones and Peter Dinklage makes tears come to my eyes just thinking about it.

[Chris]

Kate McKinnon is amazing. In the best of times, there seems to have been at least one SNL cast member who was like a chameleon and could be thrown into virtually any situation and be really funny. Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Phil Hartman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig are good examples of that quality - Hartman and Wiig in particular. McKinnon can do anything.

As for the premise that there is some assumed "sexism" to be found because there are currently, and have in the past been, fewer women in the cast, I don't think that's necessarily warranted. Many diverse factors play into a situation like that, but mainly its a matter of who the audience does or doesn't think is funny - not to mention who decides to leave the show (Tina Fey, Kristin Wiig, Amy Poehler) to pursue other opportunities . Currently, as Adelaide has pointed out, the women on the show rule. The Naked and Afraid parody with Leslie Jones and Peter Dinklage makes tears come to my eyes just thinking about it.

Well at least I am able to demonstrate empirically the imbalance in hiring rather than base it on mere feeling of oppression.

I think Ade makes a good point, a certain number of women are strong and overpower any imbalance.

[resister]

I don't watch that tripe. Shows like that are the only thing that causes me to change the channel, my TV is otherwise just background noise that barely registers.