It’s remarkable how desperate we are to avoid old age and how disparaging we can be about old people. The paradox has been noted by many that this frightening end is only available to those who are lucky enough to live that long. Old people are often characterized as slow, rigid, irritable, not tech savvy and unable to adapt. Mark Zuckerberg famously said, “Young people are just smarter,” justifying his determination to not hire older tech workers. British comedian Peter Kay once said, “Old women with mobile phones look wrong.”
It is not a great leap to hypothesize that these prejudices about age are a significant contributor to the glass ceiling that still affects women’s advancement in senior healthcare leadership. The healthcare workforce is overwhelmingly made up of women, with common estimates between 65% and 75%. Yet the C-suites of healthcare provider and payer organizations are made up of about only 30% women, and significantly fewer women, perhaps 13%, are CEOs.
The persisting impact of the historical dearth of research into women’s health must be a contributing factor to these numbers. A Mayo Clinic study last year estimated that the U.S. economy is losing at least $26 billion each year because we don’t address the effects of menopause on working women. Some small studies referenced in Mayo’s article revealed that the work environment can create or worsen the symptoms of menopause; hence, the importance of intersectional lenses when reflecting on the health of women.
A study by Bank of America and the National Menopause Foundation about menopause in the workplace found a huge disconnect between the support HR managers thought they were providing and what women experienced. Among the findings, 76% of human resources managers said they discussed menopause with their employees while 3% of female employees said the same.
The consequences are that women face inaccurate perceptions about their productivity and dedication in the workplace, deliberate choices to push them out of the workforce to make room for (less expensive) younger workers, and an environment often saturated with comments on their looks, all while being ignored, dismissed or blamed as leaders or patients. Physician-author Tess Gerritsen wrote in The Keepsake, “When you’re a fifty-year-old woman, no one really bothers to look at you anymore, much less value your opinion. It’s hard on the old ego, but damn, it does make it easy to get away with a lot.”
This is a dangerous preparation for the future of work since the Center for American Progress estimates that 42% of the growth of the labor force will come from those aged 55 and older, the majority of who are expected to be women. One study showed that 72% of women between the ages of 45 and 74 years believe that age discrimination is an issue where they work, while only 57% of men in that range thought the same. Also, 70% of Black women over 50 report experiencing workplace discrimination. In a Society for Human Resource Management survey in 2023, one-third of human resources professionals admitted that an applicant’s age played a role in decisions their organizations made during the job process.
Like many societal biases that are baked into our culture and practices, gendered ageism is a waste of vital resources, and it makes organizational choices more parochial and shortsighted. The more we yield to these prejudices, the more anxious, panicked and discouraged our workplaces will be. Data scientist Catherine Hicks found that “older people are happier than other age groups and far more productive than commonly believed.” The people most likely to describe themselves as feeling calm, optimistic, cheerful and full of life are those in their 60s through their 80s. Contrast this with the hopelessness, restlessness, nervousness and sadness more likely to be reported by those in their 20s through their 40s.
Author Dorothy Sayers is said to have written, “Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.” Wisdom and a long view are just as important for the future of healthcare as innovation and energy. We would do well to recognize all the contributions women can make at every life stage.
Douglas Riddle, PhD, DMin, FAPA, is the curriculum director, The Carol Emmott Foundation. Anne McCune is CEO, The Carol Emmott Foundation.