Older female newsreaders forced to become 'Stepford Wives' to retain jobs

London, May 16 (ANI): Female newsreaders are forced to become like "Stepford Wives" as they grow older if they want to keep their jobs, a new study has revealed.

According to the study by researchers at the University of Worcester, they are recruited as "eye candy" for the viewers by broadcasters.ne former ITV producer who spoke to them said Botox injections, teeth whitening and veneers had become common place for female newsreaders.

"It's like stepford Wives - making everybody look bland," the Independent quoted her as saying.

However, viewers said they would like to see older women reading the news because they had more "gravitas" - and yearned for the day when a woman with grey hair could be a presenter.

The researchers, journalism lecturer Claire Wolfe and media and cultural studies lecturer Dr Barbara Mitra, delivered 167 questionnaires and conducted in-depth interviews with eight senior broadcasters and producers and 20 viewers (ten men and ten women). I can't imagine any woman who is not good looking or who is fat ever being taken on as a newsreader unless she is the funniest, wittiest person," one former male producer at ITV, said.

"A reporter I worked with who very much wanted to be a presenter knew she wouldn't because she had a very big conk," another senior broadcaster said.

In the end, she had plastic surgery and fulfilled her dream within two months of the operation.

A former BBC newsreader told them that "one chauvinistic male boss ... made no bones about hiring blondes with big tits".

Another said women signed off their careers when they became pregnant because there was a dislike of "frumpy, mother type figures".

However, another female BBC broadcaster describes the comments as a "historical legacy". It would portray male newcasters in a bid light making them "look like a bag of spanners with a woman as a sidekick".

Most of the viewers, though, said they were unhappy that female newsreaders did not look realistic and thought that news programmes should be challenging stereotypes.

"None of them have grey hair ... I don't think I've ever seen a woman reading the news with grey hair," one, Mark, said.

"An older presenter would be more trustworthy simply because I feel they have more experience in life," Sarah said. (ANI)