Not Done Yet! The Underestimated Value Of Professional Women Over 50

Ageism, including gendered ageism, needs to be included in D&I training

According to AARP research, nearly two out of three workers in the United States over the age of 45 experience or witness age discrimination. Yet a study by PwC reveals that only 8% of companies include age in their D&I strategies. Not only do most companies fall short when addressing ageism in general, but they rarely include the intersectionality of ageism and gender, despite evidence that women over 50 experience discrimination earlier than their male counterparts. 
 

There are strong arguments to support the importance of overall diversity. A workforce that represents different experiences, skills, ideas as well as mindsets, facilitates innovation and profitability. There is also a strong business case for gender diversity. McKinsey’s Delivering Through Diversity study found that “companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 21 percent more likely to experience above-average profitability.”
 
Women bring different perspectives, opinions, and ideas forward that help companies better meet the needs of their customer base. Not only is the female perspective important for the design of products and services, women influence more than 85% of all purchasing decisions. But that value doesn’t decrease over time. Quite the opposite. Women over 50 accounts for more than half of U.S. spending. In other words, women in this demographic hold the purse strings. Why would companies exclude them from key conversations about products and services? It’s not in their best interest to push these women out the door.
 
Companies miss out by marginalizing and pushing out women over 50. Not only do these women have valuable perspectives, ideas and opinions, they also have a wealth of experience to offer younger colleagues, especially younger women. As organizations examine how to improve the representation of women in leadership positions, they must acknowledge the value of older women serving as role models, mentors, and sponsors for ambitious young females eager to advance their careers. Companies need to acknowledge that when older women are shown the exit, all that wisdom and experience exits with them.
 
What can companies do to counter gendered ageism?
 
First, leaders need to reflect and examine their own ageist sexist bias. What assumptions and stereotypes do they believe and how do these beliefs affect their behavior and actions as leaders in their organization? How do they affect company policy?
 
Companies need to assess their workplace policies around hiring, firing, promotion, and compensation for any signs of gendered ageism. What subtle and maybe not so subtle practices are evident across their organization.
 
Companies should do a survey of all the women in their organization and break it down by age to determine what type of support women at different stages of their careers require. What do they need to thrive at work and what obstacles are in their way? Providing a safe environment for women to discuss these issues is critical.
 
Ageism, including gendered ageism, needs to be included in diversity and inclusion training. It needs to be a part of unconscious bias training. Bias against older women is so ingrained in our society that it is necessary to help people recognize their own beliefs and learn to be sensitive to the issues. Demeaning comments about women 50+ often delivered in the form of jokes are just as harmful as other practices such as sidelining these women, diminishing their value, and redistributing their workload.
 
Companies should facilitate cross-generational networking and mentoring programs. Cross-generational relationships have many benefits for all employees. One-on-one personal relationships can crush the ageist stereotypes we hold about each other and build mutual respect. Senior women have much wisdom and experience to share with their younger colleagues about navigating the workplace and balancing family and career. They also have many contacts within the organization and in the industry that they’ve developed over the years. These contacts can serve as mentors, sponsors, or open up doors to new opportunities. Younger women can help their older colleagues fill their skill gap especially when it comes to technology. They can stimulate innovation by challenging what could be their status quo thinking. It’s a win-win for employees and their company.
 
In order to raise awareness and respect for senior women, companies can regularly spotlight individual women and their accomplishments. Perhaps that takes the form of a monthly speaking event, brown bag lunch and learn, a shout out in the company newsletter or website. There are many lessons to learn from the success of these women and their career journey. These activities will nurture new-found respect for what they have achieved over the years. As the company celebrates these women, it will counter gendered ageism with a strong message.
 
Women over 50 offer much value to their organization and shouldn’t be side-lined based on their chronology. Companies short change themselves when they discount the experience and wisdom of senior women who are by no means done yet.

Bonnie Marcus M.Ed., is an award-winning entrepreneur, Forbes contributing writer, and executive coach, who assists professional women to successfully navigate the workplace and position and promote themselves to advance their careers. With 20+ years of sales and management experience, her extensive business background includes CEO of a ServiceMaster company and VP of Sales at Medical Staffing Network and two other national companies in the healthcare and software industries. Marcus shares her message globally through speaking engagements, live and virtual workshops, blogging, and her popular podcast, Badass Women at Any Age. A certified coach, she has been honored by Global Gurus as one of the world's top 30 coaches in 2015-2020. She has been acknowledged as one of the top 100 keynote speakers in 2018 by Databird Research Journal. Her first book, The Politics of Promotion: How High Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead, provides a roadmap for women to navigate the complexities of the workplace and position themselves for success. Visit https://bonniemarcusleadership.com/  Follow @selfpromote Book Not Done Yet! How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power will be released March 9, 2021