Feminists

Five decades of a successful business model is very difficult to change in the eyes of a huge corporation. Yes, Disney does perhaps end up inadvertently promoting gender stereotypes...but it sells, and it still sells extremely well. Until moms and little girls stop buying into it, Disney is not going to change their ways. And that's the key right there...Disney does not have an agenda to keep women down. That's not what they are trying to do. Disney is about making money. And they are giving what their customers want. Their movies and stories are reflecting society. And it is obviously America is still quite confused when it comes to gender.

A lot of Disney's most popular stories were written in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, during a bit of a lull in the feminist and civil rights movements. Women got the right to vote in the 20s, but then the depression and the world wars put social progress on a hold until the 1960s. Most stories written in this era in and out of Hollywood promoted strong gender roles...they had strong male protagonists and the female characters at best provide support, but usually only act as a love interest.
Those plot lines are still dominant and popular today. Disney isn't the only culprit either. 80-90% of plot lines today feature a strong male protagonist.

The gender stereotypes is something American society still can't get passed. The man is still largely considered the "head of household" and is expected to provide. Boys are pressured to have good jobs and bring home the money. Women are pressured to have babies and be the primary caregivers to the children, even to a point of putting their careers and education on hold. Even though most men and women alike support gender neutrality in social theory, putting the belief into reality is proving to be extremely difficult even in the most liberal environments. Our movies and our literature is reflecting this struggle.

In the end, corporations are going to do what sells. Companies like Disney are not anti-female. They would support strong female characters if that is what their customers demand....at this point, they do not. I agree that they should promote more characters like Merida. And perhaps the success of Brave will provoke a move in that direction. But as most people learn, change comes very slowly in society as well as the corporate world.