Hollywood’s gene pool: Gender bias in nepotism

By Lisakhanya Tali

What is nepotism? Why is it so significant in the history of entertainment? Traditionally

nepotism is defined as the practice of favouring relatives or close friends, especially by

giving them jobs or opportunities. This practice is as old as civilization, a growing tradition

that casts a shadow over fairness and meritocracy in workplaces and industries worldwide.

This often leads to a concentration of opportunities within a few selected bunch and success

is no longer merit with those who are also deserving not being given these opportunities.

We are currently living through the peak of “nepo babies” with celebrities like Zoe Kravitz,

Kaia Gerber, Jaden Smith, Lily Rose-Depp, Dakota Johnson, and the Beckham siblings.

“A collage of well-known nepo celebrities, which includes Lori Harvey and Bella Hadid.

The conversation of nepotism in Hollywood began with a tweet on Euphoria’s star Maude

Apatow’s famous parents back in 2022, and since then, the idea of nepotism has become a

common thing on the internet with people regularly pointing it out and celebrities facing

countless conversations during interviews about it. Recently famous actress Emma Roberts

spoke up on the gender bias that surrounds the conversation on nepotism. A big thing to

note about these nepo babies is that the majority of them are females, contributing a lot to

the public’s distaste for the term nepotism and the people that feed into the sexism

aspect/trait. Many nepo celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Sofia Coppola, and Gwyneth Paltrow

constantly fall victim to the discussion of nepotism, but never male celebrities like George

Clooney, Charlie Hall, and Ben Stiller. Roberts, who is among these nepo celebrities

highlights the double standards of nepotism, she stated, “Young girls, I feel like, get it harder

with the nepo baby thing. I don’t really see people calling out, you know, sons of famous

actors.”

“Hailey Bieber, daughter of hollywood star Stephen Baldwin, wearing a shirt that says “Nepo

Baby,” displaying how unaffected she is by the insult”

Sexism is not a new thing in the entertainment industry, especially in Hollywood. Whether it

be within the industry itself or its audience, it is clear female celebrities have always

received the sharper end of the sword. Media depictions shaped by familial influences often

reinforce traditional gender roles and stereotypes, where they frequently emphasize

conventional roles for men and women. For instance, men are often shown as breadwinners

while women are depicted in domestic roles. similar to this when movies or books have the

single parent trope, you often find that the single dads are successful, wealthy, and can

easily take care of their children, whereas the moms struggle and often make several

mistakes needing the help of others as if she is incapable of raising her child on her own.

The entertainment world continuously enforces gender stereotypes and further limits the

diversity of narratives and perspectives that reach audiences worldwide. Gender biases in

“Hailey Bieber, daughter of hollywood star Stephen Baldwin wearing a shirt with Nepo Baby on it.

Hollywood easily affect nepo celebrities as well, with female filmmakers and actresses

constantly navigating the challenges of being treated equally to their male counterparts.

Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that female nepo babies are singled out in this

discussion and are constantly facing stronger reactions as we have collectively witnessed

the public's fear of successful women and will do anything to undermine any achieved

success

But nepotism still plays a big role in success regardless of gender, as insiders may have a

significant advantage over equally talented but less connected individuals. It creates an

unfair system in the entertainment world and promotes a form of power-play within the

circle. But ultimately it also creates an iconic family cycle where the next generation lives up

to the legacy left behind by their celebrity family member.