 Biographer Karen Hollinger described the early 1990s as a downturn in the popularity of Streep 's films , attributing this partly to a critical perception that her comedies had been an attempt to convey a lighter image following several serious but commercially unsuccessful dramas , and more significantly to the lack of options available to an actress in her forties . Streep commented that she had limited her options by her preference to work in Los Angeles , close to her family , a situation that she had anticipated in a 1981 interview when she commented , " By the time an actress hits her mid @-@ forties , no one 's interested in her anymore . And if you want to fit a couple of babies into that schedule as well , you 've got to pick your parts with great care . " At the Screen Actor 's Guild National Women 's Conference in 1990 , Streep keynoted the first national event , emphasizing the decline in women 's work opportunities , pay parity , and role models within the film industry . She criticized the film industry for downplaying the importance of women both on screen and off . 
