Fiona Bruce has said she “very much doubts” she would have been offered the job to host BBC’s Question Time 10 years ago due to sexism in the entertainment industry.
Speaking to Good Housekeeping, the broadcaster who succeeded David Dimbleby in the high-profile role, explained that more women are being represented on screen now than ever before.
“Things have definitely improved, and definitely for older women,” Bruce said.
“I’m perfectly phlegmatic about the nature of the job. That’s just the way it is. These decisions get made. It’s brutal, but that’s how it is and I’m fortunate enough to have been on the positive end of it for many years.”
Bruce continued: “Would I have got a job on Question Time 10 years ago, assuming I was good enough? I very much doubt it. Now that is not an issue anymore.”
Bruce went on to praise the BBC for reducing its gender pay gap, saying the broadcasting company has “come a long way in equal pay”.
“I think it’s come the furthest of all in the representation of women on screen; I think that’s really changed,” she continued.
The 55-year-old broadcaster also spoke about her positive approach to ageing, explaining that she “certainly” hasn’t felt getting older is something to dread.
“The face I see in the mirror every day is not how I feel inside,” she added. “I suppose that’s because, since my 40s, I’ve had some of the best challenges career wise.”
You can read the full Fiona Bruce interview in the November 2019 issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale from the 1 October.
