Seems to be something that women (in our western culture at least) do quite a lot.
I have to wonder why? It looks uncomfortable, and to my eye at least it is not at all attractive. I prefer to see people with hair falling naturally. As an elderly male it doesn’t affect me, of course: I don’t have hair to worry about.
But is it a sort of social signalling? “I’m a serious person, don’t mess with me”?
Have you ever had long hair?
I’m a guy. Who has had seriously long hair. It’s a PITA flopping around your face. Pulling it back with some sort of hair band or into a pony tail or whatever is a way to get that irritation out of your way for awhile. Without going to the extreme of cutting all that long hair off.
I doubt it gets much deeper than that.
Plus of course fashion. What looks good is what a bunch of us collectively think looks good. For whatever reason, in our culture women get a lot more leeway to have different looks than men do. And one of those looks is at least partly for convenience.
No, it doesn’t signal that, I don’t think.
I prefer to leave my hair loose. But if I’m trying to focus on a chore, especially outside with a breeze, I want every bit of that hair caught back in some fashion and out of my face. It’s really annoying to be up to my elbows in a task, say washing a dog, and suddenly have wisps of hair blowing across my eyes or tickling my nose.
Yes, I get that, If you have long hair it can get in the way while you work. So you tie it in a way so it doesn’t. But I was thinking more of the hair styles where the hair is strongly pulled or forced back from the forehead… it seems to be a fashion statement, perhaps?
“Why do people do things that I find unattractive?” is generally a question best left unasked, IMO.
But such a fascinating one! Why people use makeup, for example?
Not for me. I don’t make fashion statements these days. 
I will often pull it up and wrap it into a bun when I don’t feel like washing it. The bun disguises the fact that it’s time for a shampoo if I’m not ready to do that.
Preference. It’s a matter of preference.
I have long long hair.
The only way I can function is to have a hair clip handy
Cloth covered Hair ties slide thru my hair, they don’t work for me.
I’d rather it be down when I’m out and about. I hide behind it.
I think most people (excepting people in an industry that requires you appear a certain way) ain’t out to fashion their hair and make up to suit anyone but themselves.
Look away if you don’t like it.
Slick back hairdos have been around for ages.
Remember that old joke we did as kids. Stretch your face out with your hands til your eyes shut and say “mommy, mommy my pony tail is too tight”
We were a hoot. I tell you.
The answers so far probably cover the gist of it. If I can just add my two cents, I’m a guy with long hair, as in a long man-bob when trimmed, and while I don’t tie back my hair (except when it grows out and I participate in certain events), I can tell you I like to wear it off the face.
I actually like it when women wear their hair in a pulled-back ponytail or bun. I’ve never been a fan of things like the feathered style that was made popular by Farrah Fawcett in the late 70s or the “face-framing layers” that could be seen everywhere in the 2000s.
Just my opinion.
Oh, that. That produces an effect similar to a facelift, to try to smooth out signs of aging in the face. I don’t think it works very well (nor do surgical facelifts), but that’s the intent.
Hence the British term:
I understand why the hair is pulled back. What I dont get is people with hair bits covering the face, which gets into their eyes. I see that in film and TV a lot on women.
Cartoonist and MacArthur Fellow Linda Berry says she thinks best in a ponytail.
In my case, sheer practicality. I need it out of my eyes/cooking/work and don’t always have the time/money for salon cuts to maintain short hair. I’m not fond of pain or hair loss, so keep tension reasonable.
I think that sometimes while I’m applying it. Makeup, what a bizarre concept! But I like it.
That is undoubtedly a style choice, made by the film’s stylist or director, and undoubtedly done because they like the look for that character. It may be used to communicate vulnerability, shyness, or even deception. There’s a trope for that.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HidingBehindYourBangs
Hmm, to me all it communicates is someone not smart enough to keep their hair out of their eyes.
I don’t think it’s kind to connect fashion choices with intelligence and all too often we do it with hairstyles.
Since the fashion choice is foisted upon the actor, not their personal choice, that fashion is to me- stupid.
I see hair bits in the face of men too. In lots of TV and movies.
You don’t think they look too dumb to push their hair back?
It’s a matter of the film makers wanting a certain look to the character.
Has nothing to do with intelligence.
I’d hate to know someone judged my intelligence by how I wear my hair. 'Cause I’ve had some doozies.
They best look at my socks. They show real ignorance. 