Sienna Miller speaks out on double standard women face after having kids at older age
Sienna Miller is speaking out about the double standard she says women face when they choose to have kids at an older age.
The actress, who became pregnant at 41 in 2023 and welcomed a child with her boyfriend, actor Oli Green, described the judgment she says older mothers and moms-to-be are subjected to as "misogynistic" and "anti-feminist."
"I think there's a whole load of noise and people have a lot to say, and it's incredibly gendered and unbelievably misogynistic and anti-feminist. It's insane," Miller said in a new interview with Elle. "If your body is capable of it, have the baby. Have a wonderful baby. And by the way, I'm a better mother now, and it's a much more grounded experience. Have all the babies at any time you want to have the babies."
Women who have pregnancies at or after the age of 35 are considered to be of "advanced maternal age," according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Although not terms officially adopted by ACOG, women who are pregnant after 40 are sometimes considered "very advanced maternal age," while women with pregnancies over the age of 45 may be classified as "extremely advanced maternal age."
The ACOG notes that scientific studies have shown women who have pregnancies when they are older are at higher risk of experiencing some pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure and preeclampsia. Pregnancies at a later age may also impact a baby's health or lead to a multiple pregnancy, and older women are at a higher risk of having a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Miller is a mom of two, including daughter Marlowe, 12, whom she shares with her former partner, actor Tom Sturridge. Her younger daughter, whose name she hasn't revealed publicly, is now 1.
Miller pointed to older men such as fellow actors Al Pacino, who welcomed his fourth child when he was 83, and Robert De Niro, who welcomed his seventh child at 79, saying they don't necessarily have to field as many public questions about being an older parent.
"And no one has anything to say about -- and I love these people, and they're friends, which I like to name-drop -- Al Pacino and Robert De Niro having kids in their 80s," said Miller. "Forget about your age! It's irrelevant. It's absolutely irrelevant."
Miller previously opened up to Vogue in 2023 about wanting more kids and giving her older daughter a sibling.
"I felt so bad that Marlowe didn't have a little partner in crime," the "American Woman" star said at the time. "So I became that for her. I think I tried to compensate for every bit that she was lacking."
