Myth: Women should step aside as they age; men should step up

While anyone can experience ageism at work, research shows that women tend to have unique, and typically more severe, experiences. No matter how accomplished they are and no matter how effective they continue to be, older women are perceived as ageing out of relevance. It’s a different story for older men. They’re usually perceived as aging into wisdom and given more power and leadership opportunities.

In this episode, we’ll bust this myth—that older women should step aside while older men should step up—and explore the gendered nature of ageism.

GATE’s Busted podcast is made possible by generous support from BMO.

Further research:

Berger, E. (2021). Ageism at Work: Deconstructing Age and Gender in the Discriminating Labour Market. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Ross, K (2024). Gendered ageism in the media industry: disavowal, discrimination and the pushback. Journal of Women and Aging 36(1), 61-77. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08952841.2023.2238580

Featured Guests:

Dr. Ellie Berger, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Nipissing University

Dr. Karen Ross, Professor Emerita of Gender and Media, Newcastle University

Produced by: Carmina Ravanera and Dr. Sonia Kang

Edited by: Ian Gormely