Combating Ageism in the Workplace

I’m 58 – and after my last post, my inbox exploded. Not with trolls or critics. With other women. Brilliant, seasoned, fire-in-their-belly women. Some were over 45. Some were 50. Some well into their 60s. All were saying the same thing: ‘No one’s calling me back.’ They’ve been told to leave dates off their CVs. To downplay their achievements. To pretend they’re less than they are – just to be considered. And it’s not just anecdotal. A global study by Women of Influence+ found that nearly 80% of women have faced ageism at work – and nearly half say it’s still happening. Many are advised to colour their hair, remove dates from their résumés, or ‘soften’ their leadership tone. (I’ve linked the full report in the comments.) And here’s one of the hardest pills to swallow – It’s often people in their 30s who are making the call. Hiring managers, founders, team leads – dismissing smart, capable women as irrelevant, out of touch, or past their use-by date. Not because of poor performance, but because of assumptions. And it’s not just global data – it’s happening close to home. In a recent ABC News interview, an Australian woman over 45 shared how she’s supporting two sons on just $500 a week because she can’t get hired. Watch it. Feel it. Then ask yourself: how many talented women are we leaving behind? (That link’s in the comments too.) So here’s my question: What are recruiters, hiring managers, and decision-makers really looking for? Because I keep hearing: ‘You’re exactly what we need, but we’re looking for someone more junior.’ ‘We loved you, but we went with someone who could grow into the role.’ ‘You might intimidate the team.’ Let’s be clear: These women aren’t applying to be astronauts or DJs. They’re applying for roles they’ve done – in some cases, with award-winning results. And still, silence. This isn’t just ageism. It’s erasure. So I want to hear from recruiters, HR leads, agency heads, and brand teams: – Why are experienced women being ignored? – What does ‘too experienced’ actually mean? – Why does confidence and clarity get mistaken for arrogance when it comes from a woman over 50? If you’ve seen this happen – or if you’ve been that woman – I’d love you to share. And if you’re hiring right now, maybe… just maybe… start by calling back one of the women who’s already done the job. And done it brilliantly. Let’s have the hard conversation. #Ageism #WomenOver45 #CareerEquity #FutureOfWork #InclusionMatters #DiversityAndInclusion #HiringBias #WomenInWork #WorkplaceEquity #LinkedInVoices #MidlifeCareers #AgePositive #ThisIs58 #58AndUnapologetic #ExperienceMatters

We often talk about the “motherhood penalty”—the hit to women’s earnings after having children. But there’s another gap we need to address: the #menopause penalty. It’s a financial setback many women face during one of the most transformational (and inevitable) phases of life. New research shows women with severe or noticeable menopause symptoms experience a 4.3% drop in pay within four years of diagnosis—and that grows to 10% by year four. That’s incredibly significant. Think about what that means: fatigue, migraines, and hot flashes are quietly costing women their paychecks. And because very few workplaces broach the topic, many women suffer in silence. Menopause usually begins between ages 45 and 55, lasts around seven years, and affects nearly 20% of the workforce at any given time. That makes women in midlife the fastest-growing demographic in today’s workforce. And that’s not a weakness—it’s a superpower. Women over 50 are hitting their stride—bringing decades of experience, leadership, and clarity. They’re proof that success doesn’t have to slow down with age—it can evolve in big ways. I’ve done some of my best growing, leading, and learning in this phase—with menopause symptoms. I manage them with hormones, which come with their own side effects (dry mouth… not ideal when you’re speaking on stages!). But I choose to talk about it, because normalizing this conversation makes it easier for all of us. So what can we do? Awareness is everything. We need workplaces to better support women with access to care, policies that acknowledge menopause, and education that empowers everyone to understand what it really means. Because when women are supported, they stay in the workforce—and thrive. And when we talk about menopause as more than just a health issue, but as a workplace issue, we shift the system. Progress starts with a conversation. Let’s have it.

Today, I experienced something that left me both frustrated and reflective. Anyone who knows me is aware that I’ve been navigating an unexpectedly difficult job search. Despite 14 years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, and countless hours spent fine-tuning my resume, I’ve only received responses to 3 out of 400+ applications—none of which led to an interview. This morning, a recruiter reached out, and our conversation seemed promising. I passed every question during the phone screen until we reached one about my overall HR experience. When I shared that I have 14 years of experience, the tone of the conversation shifted. The recruiter abruptly paused and said she needed to consult with the client. When I asked why, her response stunned me: “They’re looking for younger candidates who can be molded.” Mind you, the role required 3–5 years of experience in a specific area—an area where I have 4 years of direct expertise. Yet, the conversation ended there. This experience serves as a stark reminder: while we often focus on discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and religion (rightfully so), age discrimination is a reality that often goes unspoken. For those of us with years of experience, the value we bring is not just in what we’ve done, but in the perspective, wisdom, and adaptability we offer. Organizations miss out when they overlook seasoned professionals in favor of those who are simply “younger.” To my network: Have you encountered similar challenges? How do we, as a professional community, address and combat this subtle yet pervasive form of bias? Let’s start the conversation. #AgeDiscrimination #JobSearch #DiversityAndInclusion #HR

I turned 50 last month. My biggest advice to young(er) women: Time is your friend. Getting older is not an enemy but an asset. Don’t believe me? Your likelihood of entrepreneurial success is proven to increase with age until you hit 60. The average successful start-up founder’s age is in the mid-40s. A 50-year-old founder is 2x as likely to build a business to IPO or exit as a 30-year-old founder. Let me say that again. TWICE as likely. Too many women feel like they’ve already lost if they haven’t ‘made it’ by 30 or 40 or 50. Trust me, after achieving just about every goal of mine, I STILL don’t have everything figured out. I don’t think anyone ever does. So ignore the social media hype of FOMO and 20-something billionaires. You’re only seeing the highlight reel of other people, not their real life. So don’t use that as a measure to compare yourself. You have time. It’s never too late to start that side hustle or set up your business. Today is always the best time to start because it’s all you can control.

There are players who never put up great stats, but you keep them around because they make the people around them better. Back in my corporate life in the automotive industry, we had 6 product managers. One of them was Lisa (name changed). She had a small portfolio She had no visible ambitions for promotion She had an average performance So when Lisa was let go, nobody blinked. The decision was rational. KPI-driven. MBA-approved. 6 months later: → Collaboration died. → Trivial conflicts exploded. → Toxicity flourished. → The team fell apart. Why? Because the invisible glue had left the building. Lisa was the glue. She wasn’t the loudest. She didn’t care for credit. But she made others better. She kept things human. She did what every leadership book forgets: 👉 She made people want to come to work. But glue work isn’t seen. It’s not in your OKRs. It’s not in your bonus calculation. It doesn’t show up on dashboards — until everything breaks. And here’s the uncomfortable reality: ➡️ Glue work is gendered. Most of it falls on women, especially those who are "nice", "team players", or "not career-driven". (Translation: socially conditioned not to say no.) ➡️ Glue work is undervalued. Once the glue is gone, companies hire expensive consultants to run "culture transformation" projects. ➡️ Glue workers are punished. In promotion rounds, they are seen as steady — but not "high potential". Steady doesn’t win the race. Loud does. So, what’s the solution? ✅ Name the glue. In performance reviews. In team calibrations. In leadership rooms. Make it explicit. ✅ Make glue work valuable. Give it weight in promotions. Allocate part of leadership KPIs to it. Because team performance is performance. ✅ Stop romanticizing ambition only in one direction. The "hungry for the next title" narrative is corporate monoculture. Stability, humanity, and creating cohesion are also leadership. 👩👉 For women: Stop doing glue work unconsciously. Do it STRATEGICALLY! If you hold the team together, own that narrative. "Without me, you’re paying McKinsey to fix your mess." (And you won’t even get my discount.) Lisa didn’t fail. The system failed to see what she did. And many teams today are quietly rotting… ... held together by invisible glue that is unpaid, unnoticed, and one resignation away from chaos. Glue is never urgent.... until it’s gone. And when it’s gone, it’s not the glue that breaks. It’s everything else.

Gender quotas don’t create a level playing field. They might open the door to senior leadership. But they don’t remove the barriers inside the room. Here’s what many women face after promotion: → Ageism (many are promoted later in life) → Lack of sponsorship or support to succeed → A heavier load at home, especially in midlife → Harsher judgment from peers, reports, leadership One of my clients was promoted to Partner at a consultancy. She had two young kids. No flexibility. No real support. She burned out and left. Equality gives women the same opportunity. Equity removes the barriers so they can succeed. 5 Equity Fixes To Help Senior Women Succeed: 1️⃣ Prevent Burnout By Design 📊 42% of women leave leadership roles due to burnout. ✅ Redesign workloads, spot the signs. Support. 2️⃣ Sponsorship > Mentorship 📊 Women receive 21% fewer stretch assignments. ✅ Match women with senior leaders who actively open doors for them 3️⃣ Flexibility That Fits 📊 95% of Microsoft employees said flexibility boosted inclusion. ✅ Support remote, async work without punishing visibility. 4️⃣ Bias-Aware Promotions And Feedback 📊 78% of women execs face harsher scrutiny. ✅ Use 360° reviews and train leaders to check for bias. 5️⃣ Coaching for Strategy, Navigation, Confidence 📊 Coaching boosts confidence and clarity by 25%. ✅ Provide coaching to help women navigate pressure and politics. Quotas get her in the door. Equity keeps her there sustainably. And once systemic barriers are removed, that's justice. Do you think businesses do enough to set senior women up for success? ♻️ Repost to create more equity and justice. ➕ Follow Deena Priest to succeed in career and leadership. Image Credit: mobilizegreen

There’s a major blind spot I see in senior leadership teams…and it’s holding your whole business back. Plus it’s costing you your best people. Here’s how it plays out: You’ve got a woman in your organisation everyone relies on. She’s the one you turn to when the impossible lands. The one who delivers the toughest projects on the tiniest budgets; without fuss, without fanfare. The one who fixes problems no one else can touch. She makes it look easy. And because of that, she gets overlooked. Overlooked for promotions. Overlooked for recognition. Overlooked for the rewards she deserves. And here’s the mistake: you tell yourselves stories about her. 💭”She’s not political enough.” 💭”She lacks presence at that level.” 💭”She doesn’t seem confident.” The reality? She’s so smart she doesn’t need to play political games. She’s a highly skilled influencer…her results do the talking. She’s a strategic thinker. She shapes powerful cultures. She inspires and motivates her people in ways that transform teams. If you’re sitting on a talent like that and not moving heaven and earth to elevate her, you’re not just failing her…you’re holding back the success of your entire business. Here’s what happens next: She may lose confidence. She may start to believe “maybe I’m not as good as I thought.” ‼️But make no mistake…she WILL leave. And if she’s smart, she’ll come to work with me. Where she’ll finally see her brilliance for what it is. She’ll claim her true value. And she’ll kick ass at a whole new level, in a business that actually deserves her. If you don’t act soon, she’ll walk. And when she does, she’ll take her brilliance, her strategic thinking, her ability to inspire and deliver…and she’ll transform another business instead. One that actually deserves her. 💥Back her. Recognise her. Elevate her. It’s the right thing for her. It’s the right thing for your business. And yes…as an added bonus, she’ll make you look like the leader who got it right!

There comes a moment for many women in midlife when, without warning, the career they’ve spent decades building starts to feel like it’s slipping out of reach... You’re still performing at the highest level, often better than you ever have, but the recognition begins to fade. The opportunities quiet down. And slowly, you start to feel invisible in an industry you helped shape. It’s not because you’re less capable. It’s because the world isn’t built to value women as we age. Especially not in the workplace. But aging out of a role doesn’t mean aging out of purpose. It doesn’t mean your experience stops mattering. And it certainly doesn’t mean you have to shrink to fit into someone else’s idea of relevance. Not everyone can upend their career overnight. I couldn’t either, not right away. But I could start listening to the voice that said there’s more. That this chapter doesn’t have to look like the last one to be meaningful, powerful, or worth pursuing. If you’re in that place, questioning what’s next, just know you’re not alone. You haven’t missed your moment. And even small shifts can lead to something bigger. We deserve careers that evolve with us, not ones that push us out the door the moment we change.

A week ago, Sarah Taylor Phillips posted an article about recruitment firm Indeed's graphic, crudely labelling the 5 stages of career, with 55-65 age group in 'Decline'. Her post and subsequent reposts lit up the LI airwaves and she got an apology from Indeed with the graphic removed. So far, so good. But what is now necessary is visual evidence & graphics from organisations that reflect the reality of midlife. As I studied in my PhD, and wrote about in my book, 'Revolting Women', so much of our thinking about career stages and retirement is based on 1950's/1960's (male) psychologists. The thinking about 'decline' is embedded in organisational psychology, even if it is hidden beneath discrimination policies. And when ageism remains rife, gendered ageism is even worse. Little wonder that so many midlife women are 'revolting' against the constraints of organisational demands and exiting the workplace. Or being forced to exit the workforce. This is happening at the rate of 2 for 1. For every female leader promoted, two are exiting the workplace. And this is still acceptable? So what's my ask? Yes, different graphics that use positive words to express the reality of midlife. A period of reset, reinvention, motivation, change, learning, growth, energy - these are the words I'd like to see in print! But also different thinking. A much bigger ask. Across my data set of midlife women and their career ambitions was three factors: 1. An enjoyment and innate interest in work 2. A desire for flexibility to 'feed all areas of their lives' 3. The ability to grow and develop inside and outside of their organisation. Aint no decline in this!

56% of women leave the tech industry 10-20 years into their careers - double the rate of men – just at the time when they should (in theory) be moving into leadership positions. We aren’t getting enough women into tech in the first place and we’re not keeping those we do have. Less senior women in tech means less female tech role models, which sends a message to more junior women that they’ll struggle to build a successful career in the industry. If we fail at retention, we’re much more likely to fail at recruitment too – neither are an option. The World Economic Forum predicts that 70% of the next decade's economic value will be driven by digitalisation, but we have a global tech talent shortage that threatens to seriously undermine that growth. An obvious solution would surely be to make the industry more appealing, welcoming, and supportive for the 50% of the population that feel disenfranchised by it. Instead, Miriam Partington reports for Sifted that “bro” culture continues to reign – one respondent from Sifted’s latest women in tech survey wrote “I see no future for myself at all in technology…I am repeatedly burnt out after years of this toxic masculine culture.” It’s a sentiment matched in a LinkedIn post I read earlier this week filled with comments from women in tech choosing, despite loving their work, to “bow out” of an industry they felt was stacked against them. It's 2024 and we are nowhere close to creating an industry where women feel safe, valued and appreciated. It's so frustrating and disappointing. Change must be intentional – it won’t just get better on its own. We have to be intentional about training, hiring, and promoting women in tech, which requires being intentional in creating cultures where women can achieve their full potential. I’d argue that it starts with gender pay equity, which is a priority for me at Kyriba right now. We have to signal support for women from the top – and compensation feels a pretty critical place to start. https://bit.ly/3WRXO1D