Do women experience a greater level of ageism than men?

I’m currently working in the movie/theatre industry, and to answer your question, I’d say absolutely yes! Age discrimination affects and hurts women much more than men. How often do you see women in their 50s play romantic parts or play characters who are young enough to have children?
How many women in their 40s or 50s do you see coupled with guys their age? Yes, I know. There aren’t many. I recently finished a play whose central theme was the absence of older women in theatre; women play 95 percent of all female roles in theatre under 40.
The ladies I performed with were all in their 50s and 60s, and they all had sad stories about not having the same opportunities as men. When I audition, I notice that if you don’t appear like you’re under 40, you’ll have difficulty getting cast in any role.