December 15, 2008

Women Over 55 Are Invisible on British TV

So said broadcaster and writer Dame Joan Bakewell. She has been given a job by the British government to advocate for older people on TV and spoke out after the settlement of a lawsuit by Selina Scott who at 57 was passed over for covering the maternity leave for Five News host Natasha Kaplinsky. Clearly, there was age discrimination since they gave her a settlement of 250,000 pounds.

"[Older women] tell me they feel invisible and they literally are invisible on television.

"We need to do something about that because television represents such a picture of who we are as a community."
Women over 55 'invisible on TV' (BBC)
Thinking man's Dame: Joan Bakewell honoured by Queen for services to broadcasting Daily Mail