: While 41% of major female characters in broadcast and streaming are in their 30s, this number plummets to just 16% for women in their 40s.
: Despite these wins, many mature roles still lean toward stereotypes, portraying older women as "senile, feeble, or homebound". They are also 4x more likely than men to be depicted as "physically unattractive" or frail.
Mature actresses are increasingly taking control of their narratives through production and complex storytelling: Julianne Moore
Recent studies from the highlight a "gendered age divide" in Hollywood:
: Only 1 in 4 films currently pass the Ageless Test —a metric from the Geena Davis Institute requiring at least one female character over 50 who is essential to the plot and portrayed without ageist stereotypes. The Dual Reality: Breakthroughs vs. Stereotypes
