In the late 20th century, research consistently showed that women over 40 represented a tiny fraction of speaking roles in top-grossing films. A study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative historically found that only roughly 20% of speaking or named characters in top films were 40 to 64 years old, despite this demographic comprising a much larger segment of the population.

(66): Achieved new career peaks with Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Bear .

Furthermore, the rise of female directors, writers, and showrunners over 40 has been critical. When a woman writes for a woman her own age, the dialogue shifts. The character stops talking about her "biological clock" and starts talking about her legacy . She stops worrying about her wrinkles and starts worrying about her pension.

The next frontier for mature women in entertainment is .