Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale has hit out at the double standards she and other women face.

Beckinsale, 46, told Women's Health magazine it was ‘ridiculous’ that women over the age of 32 are seen as ‘risqué for having fun’.

“It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 who's having any fun at all,” she said.

"Oh my god, I'm going to sit home and anticipate menopause while crocheting? Unless you're doing that, it somehow seems to be risqué, which is just ridiculous to me."

Beckinsale, who is currently in lockdown with her new musician boyfriend Goody Grace, 22, said men do not face the same scrutiny.

"I witness men constantly doing whatever they like, whether that's in relationships, or deciding to buy a motorbike, or getting a tattoo.

"It hasn't been interpreted as, 'Why hasn't he had more children?' or 'Is he ever going to decide to become a parent?' or 'Why has he had so many girlfriends?'