Nearly 2 out of 3 women over age 50 face discrimination​

“I work in technology, so it’s a lot of younger people,” the woman said. “I try to keep up. I try to dress like everyone else, and I don’t like to wear my glasses at work, even though I have

much better vision with my glasses, compared to my contacts. I don’t want to be viewed as older.” STEREOTYPES ABOUT OLDER WORKERS Women experience the bulk of age discrimination in the

workplace, and ageism tends to be one of the most socially accepted types of discrimination, says Tetyana Shippee, a social gerontologist at the University of Minnesota School of Public

Health. Although hiring managers and employees have been drilled on the inappropriateness of racial bias, negative age stereotypes and ageist attitudes remain common, she observes. “I have

witnessed it myself,” Shippee says. “Younger people assume I don’t know how to use technology. And even though age is not supposed to be discussed in hiring, I hear people say they don’t

want someone who is too old because ‘we still want them to be vibrant and engaging.’ Across different spheres, I’ve also heard comments about wanting people who are going to ‘stay involved

for a long time.’ ” AARP Research Research shows that stereotypes about older workers are wrong. Job performance generally improves with age, and older people are highly rated for their

loyalty, reliability, leadership and organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities. “Older workers have a lot to offer, but there is a lack of awareness,” Peña says. “What the world

doesn’t realize is that age discrimination is costly not only for the person and their family but for the whole economy. People are living longer, and so many skills are being overlooked.”

EVEN YOUNGER WOMEN REPORT AGE DISCRIMINATION Interestingly, the AARP survey reveals that it is not just older women who report age discrimination. Women under 50 were as likely to report

being discriminated against because of their age, according to the poll. Shippee says her own research has produced similar results, revealing a U-shaped curve when it comes to age

discrimination of women: “From ages 18 to 30, women report age discrimination due to being too young. From your mid-30s to your mid-40s is a safe time. Then age discrimination starts to pick

up again after age 50, and it’s especially high after 55-plus.” Among working women who experience discrimination regularly, a whopping 88 percent (and 81 percent of those 50-plus) have

felt pressured to look or act a certain way at work. Much of the pressure that women feel is related to the need to look younger, says Yale psychologist Becca Levy, an antiaging researcher

and author of _Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Liv_e. She notes that part of the blame lies with the beauty industry, which bombards women

with ads for antiaging products, and part is due to a society that prizes youth. “In Japan they celebrate aging, rather than thinking of it as something to fear,” Levy says. About 40

percent of respondents in the AARP survey said they feel pressure from social media to do cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers and Botox, including 1 in 5 who said they feel “a great

deal” or “a lot” of pressure to take such steps. Nearly half reported feeling pressure to dye their hair to cover the gray. More than half of those polled (57 percent) reported at least

some pressure to use makeup. But the physical-appearance change that generates the most pressure is weight loss, with 68 percent of women saying they feel pressure to shed pounds. MINORITY

WOMEN FACE THE MOST BIAS African American women reported the highest levels of discrimination in the AARP survey, with 70 percent of those 50-plus saying they experience discrimination

regularly. On average, they experience four to five types of it, including bias related to their ethnicity/race/skin tone, social class, weight and age. And about 59 percent of Latina and

60 percent of Asian American/Pacific Islander respondents 50 and older said they are regularly discriminated against.