Recent years have seen a surge in "prestige" roles for women over 40, 50, and 60, often leading to significant critical acclaim. For instance, in 2021 and 2022, mature actresses dominated major award categories:
: Women over 40 make up roughly a quarter of the population, but their representation in film dropped from 20% in 2015 to just 14% by 2022.
Research - Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film
: Winners included Jean Smart (70) for Hacks , Kate Winslet (46) for Mare of Easttown , and Hannah Waddingham (47) for Ted Lasso .
Despite these individual triumphs, broad industry data from the Geena Davis Institute and the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film shows a stark decline in visibility for women as they age:
: Frances McDormand (64) won Best Actress for Nomadland , Youn Yuh-jung (74) won Best Supporting Actress for Minari , and Michelle Yeoh (60) made history with Everything Everywhere All at Once .
Recent years have seen a surge in "prestige" roles for women over 40, 50, and 60, often leading to significant critical acclaim. For instance, in 2021 and 2022, mature actresses dominated major award categories:
: Women over 40 make up roughly a quarter of the population, but their representation in film dropped from 20% in 2015 to just 14% by 2022.
Research - Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film
: Winners included Jean Smart (70) for Hacks , Kate Winslet (46) for Mare of Easttown , and Hannah Waddingham (47) for Ted Lasso .
Despite these individual triumphs, broad industry data from the Geena Davis Institute and the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film shows a stark decline in visibility for women as they age:
: Frances McDormand (64) won Best Actress for Nomadland , Youn Yuh-jung (74) won Best Supporting Actress for Minari , and Michelle Yeoh (60) made history with Everything Everywhere All at Once .