It has happened to the best of us: Sunday afternoon and it is rainy and cold. You itch to leave the house and so you drive to your local movie theater. Why not see a movie?

When you walk into that movie theater, you know the drill. Open the door and feel the gush of warm air and smell the popcorn. Look at the movies playing. Read the title and the rating. Yes, the rating. You expect to see what you always do. When you see a G, you know you will see nothing suggestive or violent. When you see PG you know it means Parental Guidance Suggested. When you see a PG-13 you know this means parents are strongly cautioned and that it could contain minor violence, suggestive behavior, drug use, etc., but not enough to make it into the next rating, R. All people under 17 need an adult to get into this. You know you can’t even enter under age 17 with the NC-17 rating. You know all this. But what do you know about the A in the corner?

This A is the topmost rating in the recently implemented Bechdel Test. This rating system, informally called the “feminist ratings” and alternately known as the Mo Movie Measure or the Bechdel Rule, has been put into effect by four theaters in Sweden this past October.

These ratings were named after American cartoonist Alison Bechdel inspired by a comic she created in the 1980s. It was in this cartoon that one of the characters announced she would only see a movie if it met her rules. First of all, the movie must have two named female characters. Second, those female characters must talk to each other in the movie, and, third, that conversation must be about something other than a man.

Thirty years later, this character’s wishes have come true. That is the criteria for an A rating in the Bechdel Test.

Why Sweden? Located in Europe, this country was called the best country for women in 2007 according to the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), a system based on politics, power, economic participation, and income of women. To put it into perspective, the United States – a country where women are well represented in the workforce – ranked 18th. Implementing this system is only following a growing trend.

This test has been criticized as too blunt and incomplete because some people believe the idea behind these ratings is misleading. After all, the criteria to pass is specific enough that the context is unclear. Some movies may pass even if the characters are stereotyped in other ways and if they are shown in a negative light. There are also movies which do not pass the test yet have groundbreaking female characters who can potentially be very strong role models for girls. An example is Hermione Granger, the beloved character from the Harry Potter books. Despite Hermione’s intelligence, only one of the eight Harry Potter movies passes the Bechdel test. She isn’t alone, either. These ratings do not take into account the ethnic and racial advances these characters may be making. “The goal is to see more female stories and perspectives on cinema screens,” said Ellen Tejle, the director of one of the participating theaters, according to the Associated Press. These tests do not alter the value, significance, or quality of a film.

So which films don’t pass the test? Among many others, a handful of popular movies that fail the test include The Dark Knight Rises, Shrek, Wall-E, all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, The Princess Bride, all three Lord of the Rings, Toy Story, all but one of the Harry Potter films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Up.

If all these popular movies fail the test why it is important to have it? The Bechdel Test is aimed at spreading awareness and concerns regarding females in the media and movies. In a study conducted by the San Diego Center for Study of Women in Television and Film in 2011, it was shown that out of that year’s top 100 movies, only 33% percent of the characters in them were female. Only 11 percent of protagonists in these movies were female. In addition, another study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania stated that out of the 855 top box office films between 1950 and 2006, women were twice as likely as men to be in “explicit sexual scenes.” Is this how women should be portrayed?

Four Swedish cinemas don’t think so. They have been backed in their decision to implement the Bechdel rating system by the Swedish Film Institute and have been followed in their efforts by some others, including a Scandinavian cable TV channel. On Sunday, November 17th, 2013 all movies played on this channel will have to have received an A rating in the Bechdel Test (they will be showing movies such as The Hunger Games and The Iron Lady).

Enter that A movie with pride and know you are supporting women’s rights by doing so. For the rest of the world, don’t cross it off your radar. The Bechdel Test is real and spreading.