Two articles below describe the impact of ageism on working women.
“Most companies don’t give ageism the same attention as other forms of bias. Nearly two out of three workers in the United States over the age of 45 experienced or witnessed age discrimination. Fifty-five percent say discrimination starts in their 50s.”
“Women over 50 experience age discrimination earlier than their male colleagues. As women show visible signs of aging in a society that emphasizes the importance of beauty and youth, they’re perceived as less competent and less valuable in the workplace. These assumptions—often unchallenged—form the basis of decision-making about hiring, firing, and promoting.”
“As a result, older women are diminished, marginalized, and pushed out. It happens every single day, but it’s not on most people’s radar. That’s because companies often disguise these terminations as downsizing, consolidation, and other reasons to mask the unfairness and potential legal liability.”
https://www.fastcompany.com/90365272/why-diversity-initiatives-need-to-tackle-age-discrimination
Another article from Forbes magazine states: “gendered ageism affects women at all stages of their career but most notably when they are under 35 and over 50. The emphasis on ‘lookism’ puts pressure on women to appear youthful and often trumps their performance when they are evaluated. As a consequence, many women 50+ are pushed to the sidelines and/or pushed out to make room for younger workers. Though this is also true for men, women experience this earlier. Once terminated, women find it much more challenging to get rehired at a time when may they lack the funds for retirement.” The impact of ageism for working women is real.
Career Counseling with Elaine Korngold
I bring extensive lived experience of working at various management levels in the corporate world to my career counseling practice. Together, we can identify what is successful and what needs to change to improve your career situation. We can strategize alternative communication options and process feelings or past experiences or struggles with ageism that prevent you from moving forward. I integrate Brainspotting therapy and IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy in my practice to help clients live their authentic life.
I work with clients on issues such as:
- Choosing a career path
- Changing careers
- Deciding whether to leave a company
- Managing office politics
- Dealing with layoffs and finding a new job
- Creating work and life balance
- Interacting with difficult colleagues
- Dealing with stress and emotions at work
Email or text me to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation.