Each year, over a million U.S. women go through menopause. There are more treatments to address the symptoms of perimenopause and to slow the signs of aging, both on the inside and on the surface. Yet this entire life stage is virtually invisible in movies—even in stories about women over 40.
A new study by the Geena Davis Institute focused on the representation of women in their forties in top-grossing American movies. The results were clear: menopause rarely ever got mentioned, and even when it did, it was usually a part of a joke that reinforced harmful stereotypes.
The study, “Missing in Action: Writing a new narrative for women in midlife on the big screen,” examined movies published between 2009 and 2024 that featured women over 40 in significant roles. Only 14 out of the 225 films studied mentioned menopause.
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