When a university vice president had an opening for a controller sitting just beneath her in the hierarchy, board members told her to seek an “older man” to complement her. Since she began the vice president role at age 37, board members routinely criticized her age, calling her diminishing pet names, like “kiddo” and “young lady.” But being older wouldn’t necessarily have made a difference, as another woman explained: “I am at the age when I should be getting the higher-level jobs; people in my profession now want to give the jobs to the 30- and younger 40-year-olds with the ‘fresh, new ideas’ as opposed to going with the person with experience.”
Women in Leadership Face Ageism at Every Age
No matter how old you are, someone will argue you’re the wrong age.
June 16, 2023
HBR Staff/aldomurillo/Imagehit/Hero Images/Getty Images
Summary.
Originally, ageism was understood to be prejudice, stereotypes, and discriminatory behavior targeted at older employees. But with an increasingly diverse and multigenerational workforce, age bias now occurs across the career life cycle — especially for women. “Youngism” refers to ageism toward younger adults, fueled by the conflation of age with maturity and the misperception that tenure is required for competency. Even middle-aged women are feeling the effects of age bias.
Age diversity in the workplace yields better organizational performance while perceived age discrimination creates lower job satisfaction and engagement. The good news is that there are practical steps for leaders to combat this never-right gendered age bias. First, recognize ageism in your organization; you can’t fix a problem that isn’t there. Next, with your employees, address “lookism,” and focus on skills, no matter who has them. Finally, cultivate creative collaborations to encourage learning across age groups.