: Narratives frequently define older women by grief or loneliness, with 19 "sad widow" characters appearing in major films compared to only 8 "sad widowers".
The year 2025 marked a "backsliding" for women in key production roles, which directly affects the types of stories produced for mature audiences. Older Women Are Finally Being Represented In Hollywood
Industry Report: Mature Women in Entertainment and Cinema (2025–2026)
: As of 2026, female characters aged 40+ occupy only 29% of roles in streaming and broadcast television. In 2025, not a single top-100 film featured a woman of color aged 45 or older in a leading role.
Despite high-profile successes, the visibility of mature women in mainstream cinema remains disproportionately low compared to their male counterparts.