London - Women are three times as likely as men to appear naked in films, a study has found.
Just nine percent of actors who appeared in the top 100 films of 2014 had nude scenes - compared with 26 percent of actresses.
Women were also more likely to be portrayed only as mothers and wives, while men had a range of jobs, the report revealed.
The research, by Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, will add to the calls for greater equality at a time when the industry is being criticised as too male and for failing to recognise black talent.
It also showed that in 2014, just 23 percent of female characters in films had jobs, even though in reality they make up nearly half of the workforce.
The report also found that just 12 percent of movies featured female protagonists, a four percent drop from 2002.
Women also suffered ageism, the authors said, with the majority of female characters in their 20s and 30s compared with 30s and 40s for men.
It was found that women fared better on TV and online streaming service Netflix. On both formats they made up 42 percent of all speaking roles and 40 percent of major characters.
Daily Mail