Amanda Redman thinks she’s fortunate to still be working beyond the age of 50.
The 60-year-old actress believes that sexism is more prevalent in the TV industry in Britain than it is in America, where last year’s Hollywood sex scandal led to widespread calls to tackle harassment and abuse.
Asked about the scarcity of good roles for women her age, Amanda – who stars as Dr Lydia Fonseca in ‘The Good Karma Hospital’ – replied: "It’s basically just luck.
"Misogyny was rife when I started out. You’d moan about it with your friends, but you just got on with it.
"Still now, if you tot up the number of roles for women and the number of roles for men, the discrepancy is ridiculous.
"Things are changing, but not fast enough. You only have to look at British television. We are worse than the States."
The BAFTA-nominated actress admitted it’s become harder to find attractive on-screen roles since she turned 60.
Amanda argued that this trend is caused by a perception that women become less desirable after passing a certain age.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "When I was in my 20s I was told by an older actress, ‘You won’t get decent jobs past the age of 40’.
"When I got to my 40s that wasn’t true. But from 50 onwards isn’t so great. People think you become sexless, especially as a woman.
"You have to be strong as a woman in this industry. You just keep on in there, take the knocks and get back up again."
As well as fighting gender inequality, Amanda also revealed that she’s been a victim of sexual harassment.
Although the actress doesn’t feel ready to reveal all the details of her experience, she explained: "I don’t think there is a woman of my age who hasn’t had an experience. We all did."
Amanda Redman: I’m fortunate to be working beyond 50
