How women age into invisibility at work

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

♦️The Invisible Years♦️ I shared a post on aging a week ago, it has had over 125,000 impressions. A topic that obviously needed to be given a voice. I’ve heard from so many of you who shared a common struggle: finding a role when your 50+ is extremely difficult. These women and men have incredible resumes, years of leadership experience, and proven track records. And yet, they feel invisible—overlooked for roles they’re more than qualified to fill. I’ve experienced it first hand. When I was 54, I was laid off for the first time in my life. I didn’t think it would be difficult to find another role—I had the qualifications, the experience, and a strong network. But what I didn’t expect was how much my age would work against me. At one point, I removed the dates from my resume —anything that could hint at how long I’ve been in the workforce. Almost immediately, I noticed a difference. I got more callbacks, more interviews. But then, when I met people in person or on Zoom, the responses changed. I started getting ghosted or told they were “moving in another direction.” And I’m not alone. Research backs up what so many of us are experiencing. • A study by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found that older job applicants receive significantly fewer callbacks than younger ones. Older women, in particular, face even steeper challenges than older men. • The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) highlights this issue as well, reporting that older workers represent less than 5% of new hires at most organizations. The bias is pervasive, and it’s soul crushing for those of us who have so much left to contribute. Why is this happening? Some of it is perception. There’s a false narrative that older professionals aren’t as adaptable, innovative, or tech-savvy as younger candidates. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve adapted to more change in our careers than most younger professionals —whether it’s technological evolution, economic shifts, or cultural transformation. But the reality is stark: Experience is often viewed as a cost rather than an asset. And the result is that highly capable professionals, particularly those over 50, are sidelined in favor of younger, less experienced candidates. This isn’t just a personal frustration—it’s a systemic problem. Companies are losing out on diverse perspectives, institutional knowledge, and mentorship that experienced professionals bring to the table. If we don’t challenge this bias, we’re perpetuating a culture that devalues people at the peak of their careers. I’m calling on leaders and decision-makers to take a hard look at hiring practices. Let’s stop ghosting qualified candidates because of their age. To anyone out there feeling this struggle, you’re not alone. To those who’ve overcome it, I’d love to hear how you broke through. ⬇️ Let’s keep this conversation going—because the more we speak out, the harder we are to ignore!

Surface-level wellness is everywhere. But real impact? Rare. ➡️ I walked into a company last year that proudly told me: “We offer yoga, healthy snacks, and mindfulness apps.” 💬 But here’s what their women in midlife quietly told me: → “I cry in the car before work.” → “I forget simple things and worry I’m losing it.” → “My body’s changing and no one gets it.” → “I’m exhausted, but I can’t say it out loud.” → “I feel invisible at meetings.” ⚠️ You cannot engage employees if you’re ignoring the life stage they’re in. 🎯 Most corporate wellness programs stop at surface perks. But this isn’t about perks. It’s about people. Here’s what going deeper looks like: ✅ Training managers to recognise perimenopause & burnout ✅ Creating safe spaces for lived experience sharing ✅ Reviewing policies through a midlife lens ✅ Including hormonal health in EAPs & education ✅ Offering real flexibility based on life, not just KPIs ✅ Tracking how supported women feel, not just how they perform 💡 Engagement isn’t a checklist. It’s a reflection of how seen, safe, and supported someone feels at work. What’s one real change you wish your workplace would make to support women better? I train organisations to go beyond surface-level wellness and build cultures that actually retain midlife women. Follow me Gayu Lewis for content on inclusive policies, menopause at work, and wellbeing that works. → Repost if you know a company that needs to read this.

I meet lots of women that can’t understand where their former sparky selves have gone. They, you, we used to feel ALL over it, whatever the it was. On top of their professional game, enough energy to work all day and have an actual social life, left over bandwidth to try new things and have the sort of healthy balance they wanted between food and movement. Rest and play. Midlife lands, menopause wanders in as mojo starts to up and leave the building. A reckoning, realising, reawakening and resetting time. An is this it time, if there ever was one. Invisibility comes at a time when for many women they finally understand who they are, what and who makes them tick, what their purpose is and what they want to do with their remaining heartbeats. An asset to so much organisationally as well as societally, I detest the characterisation of midlife women as past it, over the hill, dried up, used up, mutton dressed as lamb and, and, and…….. - A little bit knackered sometimes, maybe. - Not as socially lubricating as we might have once been, probably. - Ready to be neither seen nor heard, nope #midlifewomen #publicsector #burnoutprevention