A Surviving Facts Blog
As an owner of a fitness studio, I have customers ranging in age from 23 to 84. That’s the beauty of the enduring fitness program I offer- the company is the longest running of its kind (I’m a franchisee). It works for any age customer, any fitness level and any impact level. We show customers how to march rather than skip, how to simplify and slow down moves while maintaining the beat, and how to have fun while building strong bones and muscles- including our hearts.
Lately, a certain demographic of customers is retiring, but not by choice. These customers- all women- are between 58 and 60. They all have a commonality: they were forced to retire. Each suddenly lost employment in one of three ways:
- The position was no longer needed.
- Their performance was deemed poor.
- They were part of an “employment action,” i.e. layoffs.
These women were blindsided by the sudden change. Some had historic records of high performance; others had raised issues about mistreatment or unfair policies in the workplace; others were completely befuddled by their situation. All were dealing with the shock and uncertainty of losing a job at this time in their lives.
Is this age demographic a trend, coincidence or the result of an uncertain economy?
The data says age discrimination in the workplace is real. AARP reports that 64% of 50-plus workers have witnessed or experienced age discrimination. AARP also found workers age 50 and older “encounter more subtle forms of age discrimination.”
Women are disproportionately affected by age bias. AARP’s research says 2 out of 3 women claim they’ve experienced age discrimination; moreover, for women over 50, age is the most frequently reported bias. A British study by Ian Burns, a professor at the University of Liverpool, found that age discrimination starts 10 years earlier for women than it does for men- as early as age 40!Older women are invited to fewer job interviews and receive even fewer second interviews. Women of Influence, a Canadian organization, reports a higher discrimination rate among older women. Their research says 80% of women have witnessed age discrimination. Fifty-five percent of women reported increased discrimination after 21 years in their careers.
In 2023, the Harvard Business Review published an article, “Women in Leadership Face Ageism at Every Age.” It details gendered ageism among younger (before age 40), middle aged (40-60) and older (after 60) workers. In other words, a women’s age and gender intersect so profoundly that unwinding them is nearly impossible. The reason is a “duh” moment: women are more often judged on their looks, and their behaviors are more often interpreted negatively rather than favorably as they are with men (for example: women are aggressive or arrogant while men are confident).
This is not to say men don’t experience ageism at work- see AARP’s stats above. The Bureau of labor Statistics reports a “statistically significant” difference in hiring between younger and older men. The same study also notes that women experience more ageism than men, with older women representing the “worst degree.”
As AARP noted, a lot of this bias is subtle, so subtle that documenting and reporting is difficult. Subtle age discrimination usually comes through automatic assumptions. Older female workers are assumed to be behind on technology or have diminished capacity for leadership (in fact, women are likely to demonstrate more leadership skill than men- HBR also has an article on this). These trends are seen through every stage of employment- from interviewing for roles to succeeding in roles they have held.
Add to this the ongoing pay inequality for women. In a study in the Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSR), “The Gendered Face of Ageism,” the authors found that “Ageism consistently impedes [older] women’s chances of full-time work.” They also report increased challenges for older women after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is worth reading, especially the list of impact themes the authors identified: helplessness, isolation, marginalization, invisibility, self-silencing, loneliness, and others. These are what women feel in the workplace when experiencing this form of discrimination.
These themes also echo in the comments from the women taking fitness classes. Many are entering early retirement because job searching and available opportunities have become limited or nonexistent. As one said, “Years of experience is equated with being too old and too expensive. You can’t even get a response [to job applications].”
Sadly, additional research on women and age shows that female age discrimination happens across the age spectrum- younger female workers, middle-aged female workers AND older female workers. The HBR article mentioned above supports this. I chose to focus on older workers because of the trend I am witnessing among my customer base. But let’s not miss the point: women more often and more deeply than men experience age bias at work. Moreover, this bias is wound up with other forms of bias- namely, sexism and racism (studies show older Black women experience the highest degree of age discrimination).
What to do?
We all need to question our assumptions. Unconscious bias is rampant. Companies need to screen, educate, train and mandate employees to reflect and root out these biases. I write this as diversity and inclusion efforts are being discarded by one company after another. Politics have replaced facts and need. Companies throwing away diversity and inclusion are out of step with the American populace. This is evident through the falling profits of Target, Amazon and Walmart, among others. Target alone has lost $12.4 billion since stripping their DEI programs. Now, the company wants to reinstate their programs. Perhaps this will be a lesson not to be a lemming.
So speaking with your wallet is another option. I encourage all consumers to rally behind the companies supporting facts rather than fantasy. We are not in a post-discrimination society. The problems have not been solved, though the political rhetoric would like you to believe they have. White men are not experiencing discrimination at the same level of women and minorities. Bias overwhelmingly hurts women and minorities, and especially female minorities. This is a fact, borne out by study after study.
As for my female customers who’ve suddenly experienced employment change, I plan to interview them for future blogs. Sharing their voices is my way of raising awareness. Finally, to answer my question: Is this age demographic a trend, coincidence or the result of an uncertain economy? I can definitely say it’s a trend. We have the data to prove it.
I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of debate.
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