Jane Seymour raises awareness about 'unseenism' after she feels ignored and overlooked as she gets older

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jane Seymour has revealed her struggles with feeling "unseen" in society as she ages.

On Wednesday, February 29, the two-time Golden Globes winner joined a panel hosted by actress Tina Lifford as part of the Speak Up in BE campaign launched by biopharmaceutical company Insmed aiming to raise awareness about “unseenism.”

What is 'unseenism'?

Unseenism is a social phenomenon that diminishes the value of women in society as they age, often resulting in their medical concerns being dismissed, particularly in cases of the chronic lung disorder BE (bronchiectasis).

In a survey conducted by Insmed, 62% of women feel overlooked as they grow older and 58% of women shared that they refrained from speaking up with their doctor due to previous experiences of being ignored.

Speaking to People, Seymour said, "I spoke to a lot of friends of mine and they said, ‘Yes, I am unseen, and I am unheard.'"

The 73-year-old actress opened up on feeling unseen as she ages, despite being "on television and people do pay attention to me more than the average person.”

Reflecting on how she is treated by others, the mother-of-six said, “Here in my household, when something breaks down, and I call up and I say, ‘Can you help me with this?’ The man will actually look over my head and find the nearest man in the room to talk to about it. It's like I'm unseen."

“Like excuse me, I own this house, I pay for it, I actually made the call to you. I am the person paying you for this information. Please respect me, and let's have the conversation," she continued.

Jane Seymour reveals how she manages the anxiety she feels while speaking up to a doctor

Seymour further reflected on how unseenism impacts a woman's health. She also talked about how she manages the anxiety that she feels while speaking up to a medical professional.

“I get that ‘doctor's nervous’ thing, even though I'm a doctor's daughter and I played one on TV,” said Seymour.

“I always either have someone else with me to take notes, or I've just asked for permission to record it, because I don't always take it in at the time that I'm told it. And I don't want to be told, ‘Oh, you're losing it," she continued.

"Maybe we should check you for dementia, or you're not listening, or you're just an older woman. That's what happens in life,'” the 'Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman' star added.