Female protagonists...

It is widely felt that female characters in film have been restricted to the easy categories that classical narratives and familiar genres demand of them (the typical complaint is that women in films are either 'virgins, mothers or whores'). There is certainly some truth in this view. However, across the history of British cinema we can see the development of an impressive variety of female characters and protagonists.

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/824016/index.html

This is taken from the screenonline website on woman being the protagonists in films recently. It gives information such as how more females now have the protagonists part.