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Down with ageism in the workplace

— by Alyson Walsh

Photo: Vogue

In a week that celebrated the centenary of some women winning the right to vote (those over-30, who were married or owned property. Men just had to be over the age of 21) we are still battling for equality. The gender pay gap, equal representation in parliament, sexual harrassment and ageism in the workplace are all scorching hot topics, right now. I’ve just been reading a Campaign feature on ageism at work: ‘A Case for Rebranding the Older Worker’ talks about how women experience ageism within the workplace earlier than men and how the advertising industry ‘doesn’t seem to have much room for many over-40, either in the workplace or in marketing materials.’

Photo: Campaign

Part of the problem here is that the average age of an ad executive is 28 and they just don’t get it. And the other part is, as Campaign puts it, ‘Baby boomers are plagued by the perception that they will require extra training and patience to get up to speed on technology.’ Plus, there’s the tedious issue of older men and women being viewed differently. When in reality we have the skills, the ability and the understanding – and the spending power. It’s been enough of a struggle for women to obtain positions of power and responsibility, why should this be taken away when we get older? I do strongly believe that we need to change the narrative, to keep fighting against ageism and invisibility – that we deserve a bit more respect. As Miuccia Prada says in the latest issue of Vogue, ‘We are clever, we are great, why are we not equal?’

 

 

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