: A "double standard" persists where older men are viewed as "distinguished" while older women are often "diminished". This is quantified by the Geena Davis Institute , which found that older women are four times more likely than men to be portrayed as senile.

The current renaissance of mature women isn't an accident. It is the result of three converging forces:

: Research identifies two dominant stereotypes: the "passive problem" (depicting older women as burdens or victims of illness) and "romantic rejuvenation" (where women reclaim youth through affairs).