Working Girls (2020) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie takes place in New York City, primarily spanning Tess's Staten Island roots to the fast-paced finance world of Lower Manhattan. The story unfolds in corporate offices and finance firms that define the city's business landscape during the 1980s.

• new york city
• manhattan
• corporate setting
• finance world

The film is set in the late 1980s, a period characterized by aggressive dealmaking and distinct gender dynamics in New York City's corporate environment. The era's social norms around appearances, networking, and professional relationships heavily influence career advancement.

• 1980s
• late 80s
• era
• new york corporate culture

Ambition is the central theme, following a working-class woman's push to break into the upper tiers of a male-dominated finance world. The film explores whether merit alone can overcome entrenched gender biases and questions who ultimately benefits from corporate success.

• ambition
• career
• gender bias
• corporate world
• advancement

The film examines ethics through Tess confronting ownership of ideas and the tension between recognition and deception in pursuit of a major merger. It balances clever maneuvering with questions of integrity, showing how ethical choices shape trust, reputation, and the path to advancement.

• ethics
• ideas
• integrity
• deception
• merger

Tess McGill is the protagonist, a working-class Irish-American secretary who dreams of climbing the corporate ladder. She endures belittlement from her boss and male colleagues, yet her practical savvy and resilience drive her to confront the barriers of gender bias while seeking a fair shot at advancement.

• tess mcgill
• protagonist
• secretary
• ambition

Katharine Parker is an associate partner in a mergers firm who initially appears supportive of Tess but harbors a plan to claim Tess's strategic idea for herself. Her manipulation and pursuit of power create ethical tension, revealing the costs of ambition within a competitive, male-dominated environment.

• katharine parker
• antagonist
• associate partner
• betrayal

Jack Trainer is a mergers and acquisitions associate who collaborates professionally with Tess. Their working relationship grows into a complicated personal connection, adding layers of attraction and ethical tension, especially given his past entanglement with Katharine. He represents both opportunity and risk in Tess's ascent.

• jack trainer
• love interest
• mergers
• romantic subplot

Tess's boss is Barbara Sarafian, a figure who belittles Tess and sets the high-pressure, competitive tone of the workplace. Their clashes illuminate the gendered obstacles Tess must overcome to prove her capabilities, demonstrating how authority figures influence career trajectories in corporate culture.

• boss
• barbara sarafan
• supervisor
• workplace conflict

Working Girl explicitly portrays the challenges women face in a male-dominated 1980s corporate environment. Tess endures belittlement from male colleagues and must fight for recognition while facing systemic barriers that question whether merit alone can overcome entrenched gender biases.

• gender dynamics
• workplace discrimination
• male dominated
• 80s corporate

Tess's journey from Staten Island to the finance firms of Lower Manhattan represents her climb from working-class roots into the elite corporate world. This geographic transition symbolizes her professional aspiration and the cultural divide between her background and the elite finance environment she seeks to join.

• staten island
• manhattan
• class divide
• professional ascent