The Theme Of Feminism In "Grey's Anatomy"

It can be said that there is a misconception showed in reality TV when it comes to portrayal of women, especially when it comes to more competitive side of their character. Laura Brown in her research stated that powerful women are portrayed as mean, women of colour are represented better in non-reality TV andthat females overall are not portrayed as mature enough to solve conflicts (Cole, Daniel & Brown, 2005). In reality It is also assumed that women are not an apt choice for a leading position in a big, competitive industry- according to Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, only 23% of Americans stated that they would rather have a female boss as their boss.

There are few real images of men and women and equality between them portrayed in media. Grey’s Anatomy series is possibly one of the exceptions to this rule, therefore the research question based on how is the theme of gender equality and feminism portrayed in this particular series seems to be of significant nature. The show is definitely different from common approach to female representation, strongly feminist in this scope. The original TV series that I’ve chosen to analyse is a story which gives its audience an insight on what one of the most crucial industries for humanity looks like. It is done by showing the lives of multiple characters that work in medical environment at Seattle Grace Hospital (which later on changed its name to Grey Sloan) in Seattle, USA. We as a society are facing a lot of inequalities when it comes to our gender. By using a TV show that airs on public television and is translated into multiple languages a big group of people can be reached, and in the long haul the series maybe will show that some things are done differently that we would expect.

Supporting the opinion that it is a strongly feminist series are even the creator’s word itself. Quoting Shonda Rhimes, the director of the series- “I wanted to create a world in which you felt as if you were watching very real women. Most of the women I saw on TV didn't seem like people I actually knew. They felt like ideas of what women are. They never got to be nasty or competitive or hungry or angry. They were often just the loving wife or the nice friend. But who gets to be the bitch? Who gets to be the three-dimensional woman?” To analyze how is the theme of feminism and gender equality is portrayed in the series and to get a view on this topic from different perspectivesI decided to focus on particular characters and a few, chosen situations of the series that picture different approaches on feminism and gender equality in the show, while also using books written by representatives of medical industry, biography of Shonda Rhimes “ A year of yes” and different interviews of actors who play any roles in the series. Visibility of women in the industry and in the seriesFirst and foremost, what gives a sense of feminism in the series is the visible difference between the number of women and men in charge of particular departments of the Seattle Grace hospital.

Although the series start off with a man on the highest position of Chief of Surgery and another two that are responsible for smaller, yet still important departments, within the span of all 14 seasons the situation shifts in favour of women(female Chief of Surgery, 3 women as heads of particular, smaller departments). The career shift starts off with Richard Webber up until Dr Bailey takes over the office of the Chief of Surgery. Later on next women are promoted to lead particular departments- for instance the character of Maggie Pierce who became the head of Cardio Department or Callie Torres, head of Orthopaedic unit. It is also important to note that both of mentioned females as well as Dr Bailey are women of colour, and what is more Callie is also gay, so not only is the series praising women in leading positions, it does it without racial and homophobic tendencies. Basing on data which state that there are 3. 2 million (91 percent)(Male Nursing Statistics 2016) female nurses in the USA it may seem that there is a disadvantage rather of men than women in the medical industry so there is not a problem, but this conception is misleading. What is worrying is that the situation looks completely different in case of actual female leadership statistics- in 2010 they accounted only for 24% of hospital top executives according to American Hospital Association. It is not just enough for women to settle for less powerful positions within the medical environment hierarchy, so I think that the fact that the TV series actually represents the disproportions is definitely a step forward as it at least helps to imagine how the real situation looks like. Itis also worth noticing that Dr Bailey is being portrayed by representative of black women, Chandra Wilson, so not only is the change between people on the leading position interesting because of it favouring women, it also shows that one of the most discriminated groups, which is women of colour, can fulfil the role perfectly. What is more, it seems that Dr Bailey is fulfilling her role better than any of her antecedents.