Nearly two-thirds of Americans who went to see the “Barbie” movie said the film made them more aware of the effects of the patriarchy in the workplace, according to a new survey.
The ResumeBuilder.com survey was conducted by Pollfish starting Aug. 10 with 300 U.S. respondents who saw the “Barbie” movie.
The poll found 81 percent said they believe the patriarchy affects the workplace, including 84 percent of women and 77 percent of men. Among those men, 82 percent said the “Barbie” movie increased their awareness of the patriarchy in the work environment.
Sixty-four percent of moviegoers in the survey said the summer box office hit — which sees Barbie and Ken travel from Barbieland into the real world and encounter the patriarchy for the first time — made them more aware of the impacts of the male-dominated system in the workplace.
A smaller share of conservative viewers said they believe the male-dominated system impacts the workplace, the poll found. While 80 percent of moderates and 87 percent of liberals said the patriarchy affects the work environment, 57 percent of conservatives said the same.
However, among this group of conservatives, 85 percent said the “Barbie” movie increased their awareness of the patriarchy at work.
The movie also impacted viewers’ opinions of women in the workplace, particularly in leadership roles. The survey found that 57 percent of viewers said “Barbie” improved their opinion of women in leadership.
This impact was particularly pronounced among conservative men, 74 percent of whom said the movie boost their views of women in leadership roles.
“Barbie” also increased the portion who said they believe women are stronger leaders than men, rising from 19 percent to 29 percent after seeing the film.
The movie is currently the second-highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. and appears likely to take over the top spot, according to CNN.