Despite occasional success stories, the overall numbers for older women in leading film roles are staggeringly low. An analysis of the 100 most successful films released in 2023, 2024, and 2025 found a shocking truth: only featured a woman over 60 in the central role. In an even more damning comparison, these films were outnumbered by those featuring a talking animal as a lead by a factor of nearly four to one. As Emma Thompson, who is 67, passionately argues, "Women are half the population and we are getting older. So where are the stories about us? The older we get, the more interesting we are".
On the international stage, cinema is experiencing a parallel evolution. European and Asian film markets, which have traditionally held a slightly more permissive view of aging screen icons, are producing highly acclaimed works centering on older female protagonists. This global exchange of content via streaming ensures that narratives about mature womanhood transcend geographical boundaries, creating a universal standard of representation. The Path Forward Despite occasional success stories, the overall numbers for
Despite recent triumphs at awards ceremonies, data suggests that the industry is still grappling with a deep-seated age bias. According to a report by Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, the disparity in roles is stark. When actors hit 40, men are far more likely to secure roles than women, exposing a system where women are primarily valued for their looks and men for their accomplishments. The research indicates that the majority of major female characters in broadcast and streaming television are in their 20s and 30s (60%), whereas the majority of male characters are in their 30s and 40s (60%). Specifically, while 41% of female characters are in their 30s, only 16% are in their 40s. For men, the trend goes in the opposite direction, with more major male characters in their 40s than their 30s. In fact, more than half (54%) of major male characters in streaming and broadcast television are older than 40, while only 29% of women’s characters surpass that age. The gap widens further in the oldest age brackets: there are more than twice as many major male characters in their 60s as female characters. As Emma Thompson, who is 67, passionately argues,