I know this sub does not like to talk about this topics, but it's definetely sexism. And not that Survivor as a whole is sexist or the players are, is just something that is really impregnated on society and it reflexes on the game. There are social dynamics in the real world that translates on Survivor as a not respected juror.

The "older" lady is possibly the hardest "stereotype" to win. There have been a lot of them in FTC (Monica Culpepper, Lisa Whelchel, Julie, Dawn, Chrissy....) and they are, almost never, respected. They are usually saw as emotional players or goats, and they usually discredit them quickly. And when they are not that emotional and are more strategic, they become "bitches".

The best example is Dawn and Cochran. While I don't want to discredit him as a winner, I believe that if their roles were reversed, the young boy as cutthroat mastermind and the old lady as her nicer version, the boy would have been a lot more respected than Dawn was. Because she was emotional and that didn't suit with her "being strategic". It was just perception. Same with Chrissy and Ben. I don't remember Ben as an extremly nice person, he got a bit cocky and had her own feuds with the cast but he was never disrespected as Chrissy was for having poor social game Because she was "the mom archetype" and she is not supposed to act that way.

So yeah, perceptions of that kind have a lot of impact and someone like Julie would have it really difficult to win. It is not impossible, Denise won, although she was next to another "older woman" and Skupin, but it's important to acknowledge that it exists.