Meghan Markle is trying to "change perceptions of mums on TV" as a producer, it has been claimed.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, is continuing her massive 2024 comeback with her now reported to be teaming up with actor Geena Davis, an American actress and activist. And both Meghan and Geena will be working with the US charity Moms First, which has been a partner of the Archewell Foundation for quite some time.
Meghan, Geena, and Moms First are coming together to raise awareness about the ways that television depicts characters who are mothers. This news comes after the charity and Geena's Institute on Gender in Media shared the results of a study.
In a statement, Meghan has spoken out about her involvement with the project. The Duchess of Sussex said: "My past experience as an actress, and now today as a producer and mother, have amplified my belief in the critical importance of supporting women and mums both behind the lens and in front of it.
"This report about the portrayal of mothers in entertainment highlights the gaps we need to fill to achieve true representation in the content we create and consume, and I’m honored to support this work through the Archewell Foundation."
The aforementioned study, which was funded by the Archewell Foundation, found that "though TV moms have become slightly more diverse, they are still underrepresented as earners and are still largely young, white, and thin", according to Vanity Fair.
Speaking to the magazine, Geena has now lifted the lid on her thoughts on the findings from the study. "The representation of motherhood seemed like such a throwback," she told the outlet, adding: "It didn’t reflect modern reality anywhere near as closely as I had hoped or imagined."
This comes as Meghan prepares to speak at a keynote speech at the South by Southwest Festival this week. The Duchess is set to appear at the speech which is titled Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen. She will be joined on-stage by journalist Katie Couric, actress Brooke Shields and diversity equity and inclusion consultant at Peoplism, Nancy Wang Yuen.
