Are you a worker over 50? Have you experienced any ageism in your workplace?

I can tell you that I have experienced ageism and it came from a very prestigious government agency. It was filled with misogynistic males exercising their economic and job security superiority (GS13-15). Only a small number of women, including me worked in this office.  The other women were part of their sector as mission support personnel for our government (GS11 or GS12’s). I was the only female contractor.

The employees, not all of course, but enough regularly called me G-ma and made jokes about me personally and my hair and clothes. Sometimes asking if I was stuck in the 1960’s or was wearing my pajamas to work. They made fun of the fact that I did not have a man in my life. I am divorced. They said it was because I preferred to sleep with my dog and cats. They had a hearty laugh.

I allowed it because it was a government contract job and my bosses told to make “everyone” happy. I also really needed the job. People from the top down were disrespectful and made me feel unwanted and undesirable. They assumed, incorrectly, that I was technologically inadequate. When I asked for a brighter light in my workplace because I cannot see as well in dim light, they said that maybe I should work elsewhere.

One sector of the office treated me nicely and were quite appreciative of the work that I produced for them. The other searched for any small thing to lord over me and wreak havoc. I suspect that one particular person even sabotaged some of my work to make me look bad to the Directors. On day one he said “I don’t like blondes.” I am blonde.

A few years back I was working for another governmental agency and my direct supervisor was a Mexican-American woman (Mexican by birth and married an American man. She was a GS 15) who  told me point blank that “You got this job because you fit the demographic.” While this may be somewhat subtle she clearly disliked that I am a white American born female of a certain age. She constantly gunned for the Mexican applicants to get the more superior positions even if less qualified educationally and experience wise. I was not the only person she was unkind to and racist to. She also dislike a great many of the black people in her employ and those from South America.  She never hid her biases. In this instance I did speak to her next level boss and was told that she was untouchable. Go figure.

Many older people are fighting to stay in the workforce because they cannot economically survive without doing so. I am one such person. The statistics and number of workers across America reporting ageism is alarming and one that begs change.  For instance, see below.

• 82% of older Americans reported experiencing ageism regularly.
• 65% experienced ageist messages from the media.
• 21,396 age discrimination claims were recorded by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• 58% of workers today believe that ageism begins when workers reach the age of 50.
• 92% of workers who have seen age discrimination happen in the workplace or have experienced it first-hand say that it is either very or somewhat common to see.
• On average, 59% of workers who are white report experiencing age discrimination at work.

What can we do to highlight recognition about this issue? Report it to the management. This is a double-edged sword and would have sunk my job even faster. But if you can muster the courage to speak about this to people who are in leadership positions at your organization at least it is placing them on notice that you are uncomfortable.

If the situation becomes untenable you should seek a remedy with a qualified employment attorney. Best of luck to all of my comrades!

 

References:

By the numbers: Older adults report high levels of ageism (apa.org)

Ober Allen, J., et al. (2020). Experiences of everyday ageism and the health of older U.S. adults. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), Article e2217240. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.17240.