Enterprising Women Winter 2021

HUMAN RESOURCES by Bonnie Marcus L aura was 50 years old when she was forced out of her job as managing director of a global financial institution. She was an exceptional employee of that organization for twenty-two years with a history of stellar performance reviews. So, what happened? The official word from the company was that they were downsizing, but Laura knew better. Her younger colleagues made fun of her for wearing panty hose and called her a ‘dinosaur’. Her boss no longer invited her to key meetings or asked her opinion. She was humiliated, sidelined, and eventually pushed out. She recognized the actual reason had nothing to do with downsizing. It was gendered ageism. She didn’t fight it. She signed a confidentiality agreement, took the package they offered her and left. Gendered ageism is the intersectionality of gender bias and ageism. In the workplace this is a growing concern for professional women, especially as the retirement age gets pushed out and there are more workers over 50. Women, affected by ageism earlier than men by what Catalyst calls ‘lookism’, society’s emphasis on youth and beauty, are viewed not only as less attractive, but less competent and less valuable, as they show visible signs of aging. Men’s credibility and respect and income increases with age. To gain more insight on how gendered ageism affects women’s job security and financial viability, I conducted research on the topic. I surveyed 729 women from the age of 18 through 70 about their experiences in the workplace. Most of the respondents (65%) live and work in the U.S, the balance from Canada, the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world. The key findings from the survey validate not only the pervasiveness of gendered ageism in the workplace today but they also demonstrate clearly how this affects women’s career trajectory and financial security. Here are some of the key takeaways. The reality of gendered ageism A high percentage (80%) of women surveyed experienced some form of gendered ageism. The most common experience (47%) was having their opinions ignored. Forty-two percent stated their younger colleagues get more attention. Others reported not being invited to key meetings (35%), and (33%) not getting a job or interview due to their age. For those women currently employed, 77% reported a prevalence of gendered ageism in their company, with 41% stating it was very/moderately prevalent. Women who work in public companies were more likely to experience it (82%) compared to (73%) in private companies. One woman in the marketing/ advertising industry shared, “I believe I have unlimited potential but it is not supported by others due to my age (53) as if I’m not relevant anymore – hard to fight that bias when it’s pervasive.” There’s no right age for professional women Older women are not the only ones who experience gendered ageism as one might assume. The findings from this research show that gendered ageism affects women at all stages of their careers. In fact, 77% of women under 35 reported the negative impact of gendered ageism, as they are also not invited to meetings, or asked their opinion. Sixty percent of those 35-40 experience it and that’s the lowest percentage reported. Beginning at age 40, women experience it at an increasing rate until it peaks with those 59-64 (88%). According to this data, the best time (yet still at 60%) for professional women is in their mid-to late 30’s. However, that Gendered Ageism is Real 80 % 80% experienced some form of gendered ageism 47% felt opinions were ignored 42% saw younger colleagues get attention 35% not invited to key meetings 33% could not get a job/interview because of their age There’s No “Right” Age <35 77% reported the negative impact of gendered ageism 35-40 59-64 60% stated they had experienced some form of gendered ageism 88% stated they had experienced some form of gendered ageism How Gendered Ageism Harms Women’s Job Security and Financial Future 54 enterprising Women