Women lose presenting roles as they age, reveals BBC review

Women disappear from presenting roles across the BBC as they age while older men are regarded as "gaining gravitas and wisdom", according to an internal review of the broadcaster's record on representation.

- Michael Savage Media editor

A "noticeable mismatch" in the number of staff and freelance female presenters over the age of 60 was uncovered by the review. It heard evidence that while older men are regarded as becoming imbued with greater authority, older women had to either keep looking younger or develop "idiosyncratic personas".

While women outnumbered men as presenters under 50, men "significantly outnumbered" women among the over 50s - 237 women to 394 men.

It found there are nearly four times as many male presenters over 60 as female in the BBC's content division.

There were nearly twice as many older men than women - 31 compared to 16 - in BBC News.

The internal review on portrayal and representation in BBC content, ordered by the corporation's board, was carried out by former Bafta chair Anne Morrison and independent media consultant Chris Banatvala. They said: "There's evidence that, as they age, women tend to move from television to audio.