Women in comedy

While primarily dominated by men throughout history, women have been represented in the field of comedy since the mid 1700s. Comedy, or creative works with the intentions of humor, is thought to have originated in Ancient Greek Theatre in 425 BCE. Some of the first figures to enter the field, however, were faced with resistance and discrimination. A sense of humor in women was previously thought to have meant the ability to laugh at a man's joke, rather than tell the joke herself. When women did finally enter comedy, it was seen as niche, thus making bookings hard to come by.

Early acts were often based in the standard roles of women as a housewife and mother. Comedy was tailored to what men would find to be both funny and non-threatening. As women gained slow acceptance to their presence in comedy, they were able to expand the topics that they covered.

Since then, women have made significant gains in the field, having found fame through stand-up, television, movies, and writing. Women such as Jane Austen, Amy Schumer, Phyllis Diller, Wanda Sykes, and many others have contributed to the world of comedy, spanning both time and medium.

As comedic license has grown, comedy has become a tool within the scope of feminism.

Comedic Forms

Stand-Up

Stand-up comedy is a form of comedy in which performers act in front of a live audience, creating an interactive dependancy.. Jokes range from short one-liners to longer monologues. The comedic form requires a takeover the stage, in order for the comedian's material to "kill." For women, the direct contact with the audience puts their womanhood on display. Many female comedians choose to wear loose-fitting clothing to take their femininity out of the spotlight.

Late Night Television

Samantha Bee at a Marxist Union Society event in February 2011.

American late night television (The Tonight Show, The Daily Show etc...) has been dominated by white men for almost its entire existence. With the exception of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, no women has had a late night show on a major network of her own. The platform allows a variety of comedic (monologues and shorts) and political (interviews and exposés) opportunities.

Gender Imbalance

In the United States, there is a large gender gap between men and women in comedy with regards to both pay and number. In 2014, all ten of the top ten paid comedians were male, bringing in a total of $173 million. In 2016, one female entered the list: Amy Schumer, at number two. Imbalance can also be seen at the level of the comedy club. For example, the prestigious New York comedy club Carolines featured 20% female performers to 80% male in 2014. Within the writers room, gender imbalance persists. Women made up only 10 percent of writers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films of 2010 and 15 percent of writers and 18 percent of creators in prime-time television during the 2010 – 2011 season.

A study in 2017 found a large gender imbalance in UK comedic panel shows, with only 31% of the appearances. However, the same study also found marked improvement since 1989, when the statistic was 3%. Additionally, the UK industry website Chortle lists 269 female comedian as compared to 1,279 male comedians.

Gendering of Humor

In many societies around the world, a woman's role has affected her flexibility in comedy. In countries that historically view women as inferior to men, comedy is seen as a masculine discipline. The common perception that women aren't funny pervades all aspects of comedy, including stand-up, television, and movies. The comedy establishment, influenced by patriarchal society, has relegated women to the "side of tears and loss." Women are almost completely excluded from comedic works of literature.

Stand up comedy, in particular, is described as a masculine art form. The words that are used to describe success are often violent, such as killed or annihilated. The performer must take charge of the stage, claiming it as their own via the phallic symbol of the microphone. The structure of joke is often centered on an attack on another party. The aggression that such an art form necessitates is incourgaed in males but discouraged in females. The early female figures in stand up, such as Phyllis Diller, were able to enter the mainstream through their willingness to self-deprecate and declare themselves ugly. In other words, they were able to enter, but on the terms of male comedians. More modern female comedians cite a need to tailor their comedy to what men would find to be funny, with change in this mentality only coming very recently.

Feminist Tool

Humor has been used a tool of feminism both for its ability to point out patriarchy and the structures it creates as well as identify the common female experience. Feminist humor is to be an agent of change for women, by drawing attention to their lowered position in society.

Bing argues that for feminist humor to be most effective at its goal of change, it should be inclusive, rather than divisive. Divisive humor, or jokes that focus on male structures or male-bashing, do not advance feminism, but rather continue to marginalize females. Inclusive humor that riffs off of the shared experience of women, can be subversive without the negative effects of divisive humor. Bing continues to say that when humor falls into this inclusive comedy it contributes to feminism by first, contradicting the age old stereotype that women cannot be funny, and second, by undermining the status quo.

Representation Worldwide

Female comedians Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler (right) at an event from the movie Baby Mama.

Figures

Phyllis Diller

One of the most prominent early figures in American female comedy, Phyllis Diller made her comedic debut at the Purple Onion Comedy Club in the 1950s. Her stand-up routines focused on the problems of the suburban housewife, a previous unaddressed area by male comics. By opening acknowledging her lack of physical attractiveness and by incorporating self-deprecation into her routines, Diller was able to enter comedy in a time when funny and attractive women were seen as threatening. However, by confining her comedy to her inability to fulfill her traditional role, she reinforced female stereotypes rather than dismissing them.

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers was one of the first female comedians to utilize the "talk/conversational" method, one that was suited to television talk shows. Unlike Phyllis Diller, who was quite unlike her comedic personality, the comedy of Joan Rivers more closely reflected her personality. She often drew on her own personal experiences as a self-proclaimed Jewish princess. Unlike her predecessors, Rivers did not downplay her attractiveness, but rather incorporated it into her riffs on life as a single woman. Still, her comedy was focused on the traditional problems of a women (trying to find a boyfriend and husband, being a good wife etc).

Tina Fey

Figures such as Tina Fey have paved the way in the modern era for large-scale growth in female comedy. Her public appointment as the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live placed her in a position to serve as a feminist comedy icon. Many of her sketches became iconic, particularly her satirical portrayal of Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. Her comedic writing (Mean Girls, 30 Rock, Bossypants, Baby Mama, Date Night etc...), in addition to achieving great public notice, was well received by critics.