Enterprising Women Winter 2021

is also a time when many women are raising children, forced to cut back or opt-out, and are also challenged by the motherhood penalty to their income and career trajectory. If they take time off and return, they often do so at a reduced income. One woman with a graduate degree in the legal field shared, “I feel I am at a tipping point – age – 41”. Unfortunately, she’s probably correct. There’s little support or help What was very disturbing about the survey results was that women felt there was nowhere to go for help when experiencing gendered ageism at work. Seventy-five percent of those who experienced it did not take action. The most common reason given was that they didn’t believe it would make a difference (70%). Most important to note, however, is that 26% didn’t trust HR and 23% stated they didn’t want to risk losing their job. Of the 11% that did speak with HR, 71% were very/somewhat dissatisfied. Of the 19% that spoke with their manager, 44% were very dissatisfied and 17% somewhat dissatisfied. This data definitely points to why gendered ageism must be included in DEI initiatives with mandated unconscious bias training. Currently, it’s under everyone’s DEI radar and employees and managers don’t have the tools to address it. “It’s an important topic that has been ignored or overshadowed by other DEI initiatives,” one woman in her late forties, early fifties commented. Women don’t have enough money to retire and have limited prospects for work Gendered ageism has long term implications for retirement, with more than half of those surveyed reporting they don’t have enough money to retire and 95% of those over 53 stating that they want/need to keep working. That being said, 28% of women 59-65 thought their chances of continuing to work were ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ with the most common reason being, “My company does not value older workers.” Of the women who were unemployed, 9 out of 10 stated they were fired, forced to retire, or had trouble getting a job or interview due to their age. Fifty-four percent were unemployed for more than a year, and 75% of these respondents do not have enough money to retire. The challenge is then to get rehired. In conclusion, women suffer the consequences of the intersectionality of gender bias and ageism from the beginning of their careers when they are paid 82 cents to the dollar of their male counterparts. At the start of their careers, they are often sidelined and considered less valuable because they’re too young. Then as women begin to show visible signs of aging around 40+, they’re marginalized and perhaps forced out prematurely with limited opportunities for work and a lack of retirement funds. Certainly, we need to fix the gender pay gap which puts women at a disadvantage every step of their career. We need to include gendered ageism in DEI initiatives to ensure women have a safe environment to discuss their experiences with trained managers and HR departments. Company leadership needs to assess workplace policies and practices for hidden bias and acknowledge the accomplishments of older women whose wisdom, talent, and temperament are invaluable to their profitability and overall workplace experience. BONNIE MARCUS M.Ed, CEC, is a certified coach, speaker, author, and host of the podcast Badass Women at Any Age. Her latest book is Not Done Yet! How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Their Workplace Power. Nowhere to Go for Help Three-fourths of those who experienced gendered ageism did not take any action. Why no action? 70% didn’t believe it would make a difference 26% didn’t trust HR 23% did not want to risk their job Of those that did act... 71% that spoke with HR were dissatisfied 61% that spoke to their manager were dissatisfied A No-Win Situation 95% age 53+ want to or need to keep working 50% do not have enough money to retire 28% 59+ say their chances of continuing to work were unfavorable 95 % 50 % 28 % 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. enterprising Women 55

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