Hilary Swank calls out double standard women face for having children later in life

The actress, 52, has called out the double standard women face when it comes to having children later in life, pointing out that men rarely receive the same criticism.

Swank is currently expecting her third child with her husband, Philip Schneider. The pair previously welcomed twins Aya and Ohm in April 2023, when she was 48.

Speaking to Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show, in an episode due to air on October 20th, Hilary spoke about the backlash she received when she first announced she was becoming a mum.

"There's a lot of backlash women get for having children older but not men, which is interesting," she said.

Drew agreed with the actress, and added that some men become fathers well into their 80s without facing the same scrutiny.

"It's weird, men have babies in their like 80s, and that's not a euphemism or a joke," the talk show host said.

"You had kids in your 40s, and people weren't gracious about it."

The actress went on to share a story that resonates with her to this day for how upsetting it was.

She said she had an encounter with a woman who criticised her decision to become a mother later in life.

The actress recalled how this woman told her she was too old to have children, explaining that she worried Hilary would not be around for her children as they grew older.

The woman went on to tell her that she lost her father when she was in her 20s and was left devastated.

Rather than taking offence, Hilary said she could relate to the woman's grief because she had also lost her father.

"I related to it because my dad has also passed, but he was one of my favourite people on earth."

Hilary said the conversation only made her reflect on how much she valued the time she had spent with her dad, despite losing him young.

"I would rather be born and have that person that was my favourite person and experience that than not at all."