Menopause Is Rarely Shown in Movies—Even as Women Ask for It

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.

While the personalities, narratives, and life experiences of women over 40 certainly can’t be boiled down to a single phase of their lives, even the briefest mentions of perimenopause are exceedingly rare. We hear about adolescent hormonal shifts in nearly every coming-of-age tale; why do later-in-life changes seem so much more taboo?

More surprising is the trajectory of these mentions: 11 of these movies came out between 2009 and 2016, leaving just three that mention menopause between 2017 and 2024.

According to the study, this decline might be tied to fewer women in their forties appearing in comedies after 2017, underscoring that menopause is still mostly treated as a source of comedic relief.

However, even if movies don’t mention menopause, in 2025, famous women are making it a topic of conversation. Most recently, Drew Barrymore discussed the changes that menopause caused to her appearance, while actresses Halle Berry and Naomi Watts called out the culture that dismisses women over 40.

Watts, 57, called out society’s treatment of menopausal women, saying, “When our hormones stop functioning the way they used to, it’s like we become redundant, expected to disappear.” She is an advocate for open conversations around menopause.

In 2022, Watts founded her own company, Stripes Beauty, to help women with symptoms related to the hormonal changes that can come with perimenopause.

Berry, 59, called out the culture that, she feels, pressures women “to stay forever 35.” The Oscar-winning Hollywood star called for improving the healthcare of menopausal women, saying, “Our culture thinks that, at 59 years old, I am past my prime,” at the 2025 DealBook Summit.

With all these conversations emerging, will we finally be seeing more representation of menopause on the big screen? Time will tell. For now, though, Hollywood can’t feign ignorance on the interest in these stories: According to a survey conducted as part of the study, 67 percent of respondents say it’s important to see true-to-life representations of menopause in movies.