At the recent Emmy Awards, women over 50 were in the spotlight. Jean Smart (74), Jamie Lee Curtis (66), and Katherine LaNasa (58) all took home awards, while Kathy Bates (77), Catherine O’Hara (71), and Sharon Horgan (55) earned nominations. While this success suggests progress, a new study shows that age bias against women in Hollywood is far from over. For most women, meaningful roles begin to decline after 40, even as opportunities for men of the same age expand.
What the Research Shows
Martha Lauzen, director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, found a stark age-gender divide in her 2024–25 analysis. The majority of female characters on television are in their 20s and 30s (60%), while most male characters are in their 30s and 40s (60%). Roles for women over 40 drop dramatically—only 16% of female characters are in their 40s, compared to more than half (54%) of male characters being over 40. The imbalance widens with age: male characters in their 60s appear twice as often as female characters.
Why Women Disappear from the Screen After 40
Experts say the issue lies in how men and women are valued in storytelling. “Male characters tend to be valued for what they do and accomplish. Female characters tend to be valued for how they look and who they’re attached to,” Lauzen explains. When Hollywood sidelines women over 40, it sends the message that their power, influence, and stories matter less. The result is a cultural narrative that reinforces stereotypes and limits real-world expectations of women as they age.
Beyond Hollywood: A Workplace Parallel
This bias extends beyond screens. A study published in the Journal of Political Economy showed that older women face higher levels of age discrimination in hiring than men, especially those nearing retirement. Another study in the Journal of Women & Aging revealed that many women feel “invisible” as they age, describing patronizing treatment and assumptions about incompetence. Hollywood’s erasure of older women only deepens this invisibility. Despite the standout performances of women like Bates, Smart, and Curtis, their Emmy wins remain exceptions rather than the rule—when in reality, age and experience often make actors more skilled and compelling.
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