Here's a key task for the new boss at the BBC: solve the mystery of all the disappearing women | Anne McElvoy

"As the BBC closes in on a new director general, the possibility again arises that it could be a woman. The talk is of the former BBC One controller Jay Hunt, the former Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon or the former BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore. At this point in the BBC's history, almost everyone would applaud a woman at the top but clearly the institution needs a lot more than a woman, however pioneering and accomplished, at the helm."

"Trevor Phillips, 72, still shines at Sky, while David Aaronovitch, 71, is deservedly a fixture on Radio 4: they're just older men, experienced journalists, doing their thing. But women are different, it seems especially after midlife, according to the report, with a noticeable mismatch at the BBC in the treatment of women over 60 in news, in content more broadly and in regional broadcasting"

"This will come as zero surprise to female broadcasters who have been saying this for years, but who have been fobbed off by too-busy-to-care commissioners or have been urged to be content with a short slot on someone else's presenting gig (usually a man's). Worse, they will have been made to feel pushy or insistent for wanting a fair share of the limelight. Any new director general, male or female, needs to know how this plays out and to figure out how to change it."

A leadership change at the BBC could place a woman at the top, with Jay Hunt, Alex Mahon and Charlotte Moore among candidates. A report found a grave problem of dwindling numbers of older women presenters across news, broader content and regional broadcasting. Male presenters often continue into their seventies, while women are marginalized after midlife, pressured into minor slots, or made to feel pushy when seeking prominent roles. Progress exists for female presenters under fifty, but many fade from sight thereafter. Any incoming director general must understand these patterns and implement systemic change to retain and promote older women talent.

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