For decades, women over 30 have been largely invisible on the big and small screen, relegated to playing mothers of male actors who are almost their same age  

Past studies show that women’s careers peak at 30, while men’s peak over 15 years later. According to a 2020 study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, men experience only a 3 percent drop in representation for characters over 40, compared to 13 percent for women.

But that’s starting to change thanks in part to streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Max. Today, there are more complex and interesting roles for middle aged women, from Kate Winslet’s police detective in Mare of Easttown to Sandra Oh’s department head in The Chair to Regina King’s Sister Night in Watchmen. 

For more, The Takeaway spoke to Helen Lewis, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights.