The age a woman's career ends

A woman's career progression stops by the time she reaches 45, the government's champion for older workers has said.

In a report for the Department for Work and Pensions, Dr Ros Altmann said she had been told that for women talent progression stops "around age 45".

"Older women face particular barriers in the workplace," she writes. "For example, I have been told that talent progression for women stops around age 45. After that, the attitudes in the workplace usually change (for men it is said to be around age 55)."

To put this into perspective, Jennifer Aniston and Kylie Minouge are both 46 years old, while Hallie Berry is 48.

The report into ageism, which was released on Wednesday, said that helping older people back into the workplace could boost Britain's GDP by up to £25bn.

Dr Altmann concludes that workers over 50 represent "a major untapped source of growth, a hidden talent pool that is available but so far under-used".

More:Former reporter accuses BBC of dishonesty in attitude towards older women