Geena Davis Institute × Next50

The Next Fifty Test

Being on screen is not the same as being given a story.

A simple standard for whether 50-plus women are written with goals of their own.

Developed with support from Next50

The Next Fifty Test asks a simple question: Does the story have a 50-plus woman who speaks about something she wants, and does it show her going after it? It’s a quick way to see whether 50-plus women on screen are helping to drive the story, or are just passing through it.

The test

Score a title

Three questions. One title at a time. Pass only if all three are a yes.

Which title?

What are you scoring?

Movie TV series Episode

Is there at least one named woman aged 50 or older?Named - not just "the mom." A character who is not only defined by her relation to others.

Is there at least one named woman aged 50 or older?

Yes No

Does she speak about something she wants for herself or others?A career, a mission, a romance - said out loud.

Does she speak about something she wants for herself or others?

Yes No

Does she take action to pursue it?She applies, she leads, she takes the risk. Success isn’t required; trying is.

Does she take action to pursue it?

Yes No

The scorecard

The Next Fifty Scorecard

The Next Fifty Scorecard is a checklist to show whether 50-plus women have the same range of storylines younger characters typically do.

How to score: A title earns 1 point for each criterion met by any named 50-plus woman in the title. For “Not the Punchline,” the title earns the point only if no 50-plus woman’s age is played for a joke.

The gap check: Score an under 50 woman in the same title the same way. If she earns a point and the 50-plus women don’t, that’s the gap.

Criterion	What it measures
The Paycheck	An economic life: working, looking for work or managing money
The Network	Friends, work friends or a community of her own
The Love Life	A romantic or intimate storyline, not played for laughs
The Save	A heroic act: she rescues someone, steps in or takes charge in a crisis
The Arc	She changes, learns or grows by the end
Not the Punchline	Her age is not used as a joke

Total__ / 6

The next fifty years can be a time of ambition, agency, and possibility rather than decline.