Excerpt from my book You’re Always 39: Surviving Late Career Job Loss & Thriving. Out December 2026
The Rosie the Riveter poster is a symbol of American triumph: a sleeve rolled up, a bicep flexed, a resolute gaze. But the reality for the women who actually built the bombers was grit, sweat, and air-powered guns that rattled their bones. They supported a war effort that saved the world. Today, the modern professional woman’s battlefield is different– it’s the boardroom, the video call, and the subtle, cold push toward the exit. But the demand for grit remains the same.
While the real Rosie has been debated, she represented millions of women who had entered the workforce to take jobs in factories and shipyards while men were on the battlefront. One real riveter, Rose Ann Monroe, built B-24 bombers. Another Rosie, Rosalind P. Walter inspired the Kay Keiser song of the same name, “Rosie the Riveter.” The motto was “We Can Do It!,” and women did. The number of women in the labor force increased by 7 million, sustaining manufacturing in America while men battled in Europe and the Pacific.
Women’s labor force participation decreased after WWII, however, largely because men needed their jobs back after returning from the war. In the 1950s, about 30% of women worked. They mostly had “pink-collar” jobs, referring to women’s work in teaching, nursing, childcare and secretarial services. In the 1960s, women’s labor participation grew, increasing about 7 million. The “Quiet Revolution” of the 1970s expanded the trend. During this time, working women of childbearing age with a child under the age of 1 increased 40%. Women’s attitudes toward work changed too, especially among younger women wanting both careers and children.
Since the 1970s, women’s labor force participation has steadily grown, and more women are in the U.S. workforce today than ever before. Currently, women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce. Fifty-seven million women over the age of 20 participate in the labor force. We owe much gratitude to the women who pioneered these changes .
The percentage of women in the workforce has grown steadily between 1970 and 2000, when it reached its peak of 60% In 2010, however, 2% of capable working women left the work force for the first time in 40 years. Again in 2020, women saw another 2% drop, showing the growth trend is weakening. Since 2020, women in the U.S. have lost jobs, partly the outcome of the COVID Pandemic when “women’s” work such as teaching and waiting tables was affected by closing businesses and faltering economies. Women cite many reasons for this trend— frustration with low wages or wages not on par with men’s, lack of opportunities for job growth and few management roles, the”glass ceiling” and exhaustion from juggling work and motherhood, their “second job.” Prime-age working women report being tired and fed up with double standards, gender inequalities and lack of support systems such as health- and childcare. Some of these women are checking out.
Despite this faltering growth trend, women are staying in the workforce. The Labor Department reports that nearly 34% of women older than 55 are in the labor force, an astounding 61% increase since 2000, the highest increase of any age group. While personal fulfillment drives some aging women to continue working, according to the Washington Post article, “Older Women Are Changing the Face of the U.S. Labor Force,” economic necessity drives many others. In fact, because women usually live longer and remain healthier than men, women 55+ are, therefore, forced to delay retirement, making them particularly vulnerable for systemic ageism. Again, the numbers tell the story. Sixty-eight percent of men aged 20 and above are in the workforce, compared to women’s 57%.8 Across every age, women’s numbers trail men’s. Prime-age workers, defined as ages 25-54– essentially, the core of the labor force— show that 89% of men and 78% of women work.9 While these percentages may seem close, in actual numbers this is 60.5 million men compared to 55.4 million women, a significant difference since more women than men are pursuing college and post-graduate degrees.
As they age, the numbers of both men and women working decrease. But, after age 60 the number of women drops more dramatically, according to the National Institutes for Health. The NIH tells us that out of all women, the workforce participation rate for 50–54, 55–60 and over 60 years stands at 86%, 79% and 38% (add footnote, compared to 92%, 86% and 51% for men). That big drop for women from 50 to 60+ is significant. Almost half of all work-eligible women leave the workforce after 50, 41% after 60. These numbers aren’t just abstract percentages; they represent real livelihoods and identities, including my one.” Men, on the other hand, do not see steep declines until the ages of 65 to 69, and then it’s 30-35%. Many women are out of the workforce by this age. Men get to stay in the workforce longer and see less impact on their overall employment at the age of 60.
Several factors influence women over 60 to leave the workforce– elderly parents, empty nest, illness, low pay, difficulty finding jobs, to name a few. But these alone do not explain the dramatic decline. I believe that ageism’s effect on women has been greatly underestimated. No study I’ve seen connects decreased labor participation rates to studies on ageism and age discrimination. These studies show huge numbers. Women of Influence+, for example, found that almost 78% of women have encountered age-based discrimination, and almost 81% of women say they’ve witnessed it. An AARP study supports this, finding that nearly 2 out of 3 women aged 50 and older report regular age discrimination. In fact, ageism is the most common type of discrimination women report.6 While men report ageism too, women are twice as likely to report age-related bias than men are.
Other studies confirm the prevalence for women. Nearly 80% of women in a global study on ageism say they have personally experienced age-related discrimination. Over 80% say they’ve witnessed other women experiencing age-based discrimination. Fifty percent say they’ve been treated disrespectfully by colleagues because of their age. Forty-nine percent believe promotions unfairly overlook aging women. Women in the study also report experiencing stereotypes (80%), having their capabilities second-guessed (62%), impaired career progression (58%) and mental health impacts.12 When older women lose their jobs, moreover, finding new jobs is harder than for men. Older women get fewer interviews, fewer callbacks, and earn less than younger females and males of all ages. In fact, over 30% of human resource professionals admit to making age-based hiring decisions. With so many challenges, it’s no wonder some women are rethinking traditional corporate work.
Age discrimination not only hurts women’s employment— and by extension— finances, it also, as the global study reflects, affects women’s mental health. Age discrimination for women results in increased stress, depression and anxiety. Harvard Health reports that women aged 40 to 50 take antidepressants at a greater rate than any other age group. Many women at these ages are entering perimenopause and/or reaching menopause, which compounds mental health challenges. All of this leads to older women workers fearing job loss. To offset the possibility and erase the effects of aging, women may pursue costly plastic surgery and facial treatments. I did this myself, spending thousands on fillers and wrinkle erasers.
Read on when my book comes out!
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