Gendered Ageism: No ‘Right Age’ for Women

Ageism is a bias that disproportionally affects women, and it affects them at every age. “Gendered ageism sits at the intersection of age and gender bias and is a double whammy where there is ‘no right age’ for professional women,” Amy Diehl et al. found in their survey of female leaders and reported in the Harvard Business Review (HBR).

Older women (defined in the study as over 60) reported feeling undervalued and overlooked for advancement opportunities. Younger female leaders (defined as under 40) and those who look young reported being condescended to and of facing “role incredulity”: being mistaken for administrative support, an intern, or other junior woman. Non-white women experienced role incredulity at even higher rates than white women. These women also often face a “credibility deficit” and have to expend energy and time to prove they know what they are talking about.

There is no “just right” middle age for women either. Survey respondents also reported bias against women ages 40 to 60 owing to employer concerns about the family responsibilities they (but apparently not similarly-aged men) are assumed to have and/or because of concerns about managing menopausal women. They can also be seen as “past their prime,” as a now former CNN anchor once said. (“Google it.”)

The research reported in HBR did not survey design professionals, instead focusing on female leaders in healthcare, higher education, law, and faith-based non-profits. In its study and research on bias in the architecture profession, the AIA/The Center for WorkLife Law did not find a clear connection between bias and age, although several architects surveyed reported experiencing ageism. The authors of that study suggest it was possible that “younger people attribute bias to their race/ethnicity or gender, while older people attribute the same experiences to their age.”

Another possible reason ageism in architecture isn’t widely reported is that project teams are often composed of individuals with a wide range of architectural experience and thus (usually) of age. In other professions, composing intergenerational teams is often offered as an antidote to ageism.

Still, since other societal biases are mirrored in architecture, it makes sense to safeguard against gendered ageism as well. Fortunately, many of the measures that can reduce bias in other arenas can help. For example, implementing strategies to reduce gender bias in performance reviews and correct for bias in promotion can also help address ageism and make workplaces better for women of all ages. This will benefit the firms as well as the employees.

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Women’s Suffrage Group, Washington, DC, 1918 (Library of Congress).