Older women 'disappear' from presenting roles at the BBC, while older men are seen as gaining 'gravitas and wisdom', an independent review has found. The review uncovered a 'noticeable mismatch' in the number of male and female presenters over 60, with men significantly outnumbering women.
In the BBC's content division, there are nearly four times as many male presenters over 60 as female. BBC News has almost twice as many older men as women, with 31 compared to 16. The disparity is even more acute among the over-70s, with 57 men and only 11 women across three divisions.
The review, commissioned by the BBC board and conducted by former Bafta chair Anne Morrison and media consultant Chris Banatvala, heard evidence that older women must either try to look younger or develop 'idiosyncratic personas' to stay on screen. In contrast, older men are portrayed as gaining authority with age.
Labour peer Harriet Harman called the situation 'the double jeopardy of ageism and sexism', while presenter Selina Scott said the BBC's approach had 'cancelled' an entire age group of women. The BBC has faced previous criticism, including a 2011 age discrimination case won by Miriam O'Reilly.
The review also found that key BBC programmes, such as the Ten O'Clock News and Today programme, still feature more than two male experts for every female expert. Additionally, the review highlighted a lack of representation of working-class voices and perspectives from outside London, with white working-class communities often portrayed negatively.
