Research - Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film

: In 2025, not a single top-grossing film featured a woman of color aged 45 or older in a leading or co-leading role.

Reports from leading research institutions, including the Geena Davis Institute and the SDSU Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film , reveal a persistent "erasure" of mature women in entertainment. Despite overall gains for women in 2024, representation for those over 45 plummeted in 2025, reaching a seven-year low in leading theatrical roles.

: Accounts for just 3% of female characters compared to 7% of male characters.

: Female characters experience a "precipitous decline" in numbers from their 30s to their 40s. In their 30s : 46% of female speaking characters. In their 40s : 15% of female speaking characters.

: Women over 50 are four times more likely than men to be portrayed as senile, and frequently depicted as feeble, frumpy, or homebound.

The data highlights a significant gendered age gap where women's visibility declines sharply after age 40, while men's opportunities often peak during that same period.