Over the working hill at age 45?

I’ve been an academic for a decade and recently, after extended periods of teaching online because of COVID-19, I returned to face-to-face teaching.  On the first day, I was struggling with a setting on the classroom computer system. The students could see me struggling. They laughed and eventually showed me how easy it was. It made me feel small, and I was a little shaky, thinking to myself “is this minor IT skill more important than my expertise and knowledge on the topic?”

I moved passed it, but felt a pressure to prove myself.

I am not quite 45, but I’m close, and this experience got me thinking about what others over 45 have experienced. I was curious about how prevalent ageism is in the workplace. And were people in their mid-40s really experiencing ageism?

Ageism is not a new concept but 45 does seem very early. However, as far back as 2009 Age Discrimination Commissioner Liz Broderick noted that over 45s were being considered as mature age workers in Australia and discriminated against. This has only worsened in recent times with new findings from The Australian Series: Ageing in the Workforce 2021^[1] stating over 90% of over 50s believe ageism is prevalent within workplaces. A scary reality!

If you are like me then you can remember an era of no internet or mobile phones or computers. Over time, however, we have learned to work with computers and technology and while we are comfortable with it, there are still times when we like to make notes in our paper-based notepads or walk to a colleague for a chat rather than use social media or emails. Of course, COVID-19 is another disruption. We’ve had to embrace working from home and rapidly up-skill to newer technologies, and now as we flip between working from home and face-to-face new tech continues to evolve.

As people of my age continue to adapt as best we can, my classroom encounter made me realise that the younger generation (who have grown up with IT as second nature) have become less patient. With all their tech know how, they have seemingly become not as accepting or tolerant of a generation of people who might just need a little extra time to work through things. Importantly, they may not even be conscious that they are participating in gender and age discrimination.

Moreover, research suggests that this discrimination is more evident amongst women, especially women who are trying to re-enter the workforce after the age of 45. ABS (2016)^[2] report noted that mature aged women have considerably lower rates of workforce participation compared to mature age men (58.5% compared to 71.9%). Also many women have had gaps in their careers or have experienced domestic or family violence which has led them to have low self-confidence and to feel socially isolated. Women’s interrupted career trajectories and lower levels of digital literacy creates a unique layer of barriers when they attempt to re-join the workforce. Organisational biases against women re-entering the workforce after long breaks and neo-sexism are added barriers, leading to many women in part-time or casual roles and unable to make ends meet ^[3]. COVID-19 has added another layer of challenges for women in this age group as many lost their jobs and they are now finding it hard to find another.

As a result of all this we are experiencing a brain drain, a loss of a whole generation of people with rich experiences and knowledge! Australian Human Rights Commission notes that discrimination does not only impact the worker, but also the overall workplace as there is higher absenteeism, loss of productivity, staff turnover and loss of experience and corporate knowledge.

So, what do we need to support women over 45 within the workplace or who are planning on re-entering the workforce? And more broadly, how do we support a balance of diversity and understanding of different generations?

First, it’s important that we call people out when we see that unconscious biases or age discrimination is happening and create a culture of awareness of these issues.

Second, it is critical that organisations include training for all workers, old and young, to work effectively within a diverse environment and to help them understand what each group brings to the workplace, and if there is a loss of that group what impact would it have on the workplace.

Lastly, it is important that we start having these conversations and involve government, industry, academia, and include women over 45 as well as the younger generation.

That way, the next time I struggle with some tech I won't have to feel less than I am. Indeed, after the initial hiccup with technology my class went on as planned. Students were engaged in the learning and enjoyed the content and benefitted from my years of expertise and experience in the subject area. This is how a class should be taught, and no one should have to start from behind just because they’re 45 or older.

References

^[1] https://www.seniors.com.au/news-insights/australian-seniors-series-ageing-in-workforce

^[2] ABS. 2016, “Spotlight on underemployment” http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/6202.0Main%20Features5Nov%202016

^[3] Kaushiva, P. and Joshi, C., 2020. Women’s re-entry after a career break: Efficacy of support programs

Dr. Dhara Shah is the Director of Engagement and Senior Lecturer with BSI. Her research interests include women, expatriation, entrepreneurship, social innovation, aging women, India, training, cross-cultural adjustment. She has recently successfully designed and led a social innovation project, Australian Government-funded (772,200) to empower disadvantaged and welfare-dependent women through entrepreneurship and co-led a social-action project, Queensland Government-funded (87,910) to build capacity for Indian women social-entrepreneurs.

Dhara was a recipient of the GBS Pro Vice-Chancellors Research Excellence Award for mid-career researcher in 2021 and was also a finalist for the 2020-21 Indian Australian Business and Community Awards.