Are men still funnier than women? The age-old stereotype might sound ancient now with more and more women entering and excelling in the comedy scene. But what took them so long to occupy the space. Three female comedy writers decode the same
L-R: Sneha Desai, Ishita Moitra, and Sonali Thakker
Who’s more funny? Men or women? While the age-old stereotype would make one think that men are funnier than women, there is no right answer to it. Skills do not have gender, bias does. For a long time, comedy has been dominated by the stereotype that women are not as funny as men, often dismissed as lacking the sharp wit or boldness needed to succeed in the field. This perception has been reinforced by societal norms that expect women to be poised, agreeable, and less outspoken, making the raw, unfiltered humor often celebrated in comedy seem unfeminine. ADVERTISEMENT“The kind of wicked and dry humour that women writers are coming up with has a lot to do with suppression also because for very long they have been relegated to the corners of the room where their observant eye had a great time viewing various things that are going on in the society. When it comes to giving words to their observation, women are coming with tremendous humour,” notes writer and actor Sneha Desai who is credited for films like Laapataa Ladies and Loveyapa. ‘Women and liberty have not gone hand-in-hand in the pastWhile today, more and more women have occupied space in the previously male-dominated field of comedy, it has taken a long time for women to break into this space. Ishita Moitra who is credited as writer for films like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Call Me Bae speaks about how liberation plays a role in comedy. “Comedy is about observing something that’s slightly off or weird in the world around you and then presenting it in the palatable (mostly!) form of a joke. Thus it is a liberating experience and obviously, women and liberty haven’t gone hand in hand in the past. A traditional “good woman” isn’t supposed to find fault in the system, she’s supposed to be obedient, patient, not answer back or question. Hence, a woman who makes jokes is “unbecoming” and “unladylike”. She’s a troublemaker. Perhaps, this is why it’s taken women so long to break into the comedy scene,” she said.
Stand-up comic Sonali Thakker, on the other hand, had quite different experience while performing for live audience as opposed to reactions online. One look at the comments section on my social media will reveal that many audiences there still feel that way. And there’s an audience that doesn’t agree with them. There’s a little bit of everything online. However, in person, I almost never get those backhanded compliments like, “Oh, you’re funny… for a woman,” or “You’re the only female I know who can crack jokes and still be funny.” Thank God. That’s ancient history. Live audiences have stopped segregating humour based on gender,” she shares.
Drawing the line
While the country has lately been occupied in moralising jokes after a comment by a content creator on a no-filer comedy YouTube show went viral. While the discussion around drawing the line in comedy is an ongoing one, gender has also inherently played a role in this. Society conditioning is such that it considers certain jokes acceptable only by men and not women. “I hundred percent feel that people get more offended when they hear abuse from a woman. Or anything that’s slightly more sexually explicit or about women articulating their desires in general makes people uncomfortable,” says Moitra.
She adds, “It has definitely become difficult to write anything not just comedy. I first think of a joke then think of how many people it could offend. Then change it to the most vanilla or rather alu matar version of it. This kind of second guessing has its perils as well as advantages. Peril: Self censorship. Advantage: You are able to speak to a wider audience.”
Sneha Desai believes that a writer’s words have the potential to shape society. “As a writer, you need to understand that your joke will influence a lot of people. In a small way, you are shaping how society reacts to things or how society laughs at things. I think one should take that a little more responsibly.”
However, Sneha also believes that when gender comes into play, male comics get away with more than female comedians. “They enjoy a lot more liberty than comediennes. We tend to judge female comics, bracket them, and create a specific image in our minds about the kind of jokes they tell. We then start attributing those jokes to their personal beliefs. That is a societal condition that needs immediate undoing.”
Sonali feels that the offline audience at stand-up shows are aware of what to expect and are unbothered by the gender of the comic but feels it’s a completely different game online. “The online crowd is distinctly different. In the online space, a wide range of people are encountered – from which a few people are present to ensure they are not being offended. A simple joke around not liking pineapple on pizza is as though a war has been declared on Italy. In the online space, I believe everything is significantly amplified; especially when one discusses something that incorporates delicate topics such as cultural or religious values. I think this is because there is less context online.”
Who’s more funny? Men or women? While the age-old stereotype would make one think that men are funnier than women, there is no right answer to it. Skills do not have gender, bias does. For a long time, comedy has been dominated by the stereotype that women are not as funny as men, often dismissed as lacking the sharp wit or boldness needed to succeed in the field. This perception has been reinforced by societal norms that expect women to be poised, agreeable, and less outspoken, making the raw, unfiltered humor often celebrated in comedy seem unfeminine.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The kind of wicked and dry humour that women writers are coming up with has a lot to do with suppression also because for very long they have been relegated to the corners of the room where their observant eye had a great time viewing various things that are going on in the society. When it comes to giving words to their observation, women are coming with tremendous humour,” notes writer and actor Sneha Desai who is credited for films like Laapataa Ladies and Loveyapa.
While today, more and more women have occupied space in the previously male-dominated field of comedy, it has taken a long time for women to break into this space. Ishita Moitra who is credited as writer for films like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Call Me Bae speaks about how liberation plays a role in comedy. “Comedy is about observing something that’s slightly off or weird in the world around you and then presenting it in the palatable (mostly!) form of a joke. Thus it is a liberating experience and obviously, women and liberty haven’t gone hand in hand in the past. A traditional “good woman” isn’t supposed to find fault in the system, she’s supposed to be obedient, patient, not answer back or question. Hence, a woman who makes jokes is “unbecoming” and “unladylike”. She’s a troublemaker. Perhaps, this is why it’s taken women so long to break into the comedy scene,” she said.
Stand-up comic Sonali Thakker, on the other hand, had quite different experience while performing for live audience as opposed to reactions online. One look at the comments section on my social media will reveal that many audiences there still feel that way. And there’s an audience that doesn’t agree with them. There’s a little bit of everything online. However, in person, I almost never get those backhanded compliments like, “Oh, you’re funny… for a woman,” or “You’re the only female I know who can crack jokes and still be funny.” Thank God. That’s ancient history. Live audiences have stopped segregating humour based on gender,” she shares.
While the country has lately been occupied in moralising jokes after a comment by a content creator on a no-filer comedy YouTube show went viral. While the discussion around drawing the line in comedy is an ongoing one, gender has also inherently played a role in this. Society conditioning is such that it considers certain jokes acceptable only by men and not women. “I hundred percent feel that people get more offended when they hear abuse from a woman. Or anything that’s slightly more sexually explicit or about women articulating their desires in general makes people uncomfortable,” says Moitra.
She adds, “It has definitely become difficult to write anything not just comedy. I first think of a joke then think of how many people it could offend. Then change it to the most vanilla or rather alu matar version of it. This kind of second guessing has its perils as well as advantages. Peril: Self censorship. Advantage: You are able to speak to a wider audience.”
Sneha Desai believes that a writer’s words have the potential to shape society. “As a writer, you need to understand that your joke will influence a lot of people. In a small way, you are shaping how society reacts to things or how society laughs at things. I think one should take that a little more responsibly.”
However, Sneha also believes that when gender comes into play, male comics get away with more than female comedians. “They enjoy a lot more liberty than comediennes. We tend to judge female comics, bracket them, and create a specific image in our minds about the kind of jokes they tell. We then start attributing those jokes to their personal beliefs. That is a societal condition that needs immediate undoing.”
Sonali feels that the offline audience at stand-up shows are aware of what to expect and are unbothered by the gender of the comic but feels it’s a completely different game online. “The online crowd is distinctly different. In the online space, a wide range of people are encountered – from which a few people are present to ensure they are not being offended. A simple joke around not liking pineapple on pizza is as though a war has been declared on Italy. In the online space, I believe everything is significantly amplified; especially when one discusses something that incorporates delicate topics such as cultural or religious values. I think this is because there is less context online.”
