Academy Award winning actress and now a staunch women advocate, Geena Davis has lashed out at the continued marginalization of women in Hollywood particularly on the stereotyped representation of women on television and films.

Davis expressed her dismay over the slow pace of women empowerment in films and television at the launch of United Nations Women in time for the Women’s month celebration in March.

"Gender stereotypes remain deeply entrenched in today's entertainment and there has been no significant progress over the last 20 years," Davis was quoted as saying at the gala held at UN Headquarters by the Agence France Presse.

The 54-year-old actress, who won an Oscar award for “The Accidental Tourist” (2004) has established her own organization aimed at propelling the number of women in the media and the entertainment industry in Hollywood.

Her group, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender, which the actress has founded in 2007, has been conducting research and engaging in activities that will shore up and enforce the role of women in the entertainment industry and how they are represented in television series as well as in feature films.

Known for her role in "A League of Their Own" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight", the AFP said that Davis pointed out that there is only one female character for every three males in films and TV dramas.

"Our research shows that from 2006 to 2009 not one female character was depicted in family films in the field of science, as a business leader, in the law profession or in politics,” Davis said, according to AFP.

Davis, featured as US president in the television series "Commander in Chief" expressed apprehension on the message sent on how these women are portrayed on television dramas and films.

"What message are we sending to girls if there are so few female characters. If the characters are devalued, stereotyped, sidelined or simply not there at all," Davis said. “And what message are boys taking in about the importance, value and worth of girls."

With Davis, noted AFP is Australian actress, Nicole Kidman who videolinked her call to the UN agency emphasizing that the event was "an historic opportunity to be able to do more for women."

Davis is joined by Spain's Princess Cristina who said AFP demanded more efforts for equality as they welcomed the creation of UN Women.

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