Have you experienced ageism? Have you missed opportunities, jobs and experiences because society thought you were too old? Over the past 5 months I have been looking for ways to bring in some extra money to support my family. I have sent out many job applications, resumes and enquiries all for casual, low skill easy jobs that I could do and have done in the past with no issue. In fact I have been in more senior roles than the roles I have applied for but that was all good with me. Yet, from all the applications I sent, I had no response. Now it may well be that my resume sucks or my cover letters are poorly written but I don’t think that is the case. I have previously never had a problem securing employment, rarely have I been unemployed apart from when I chose to so I could raise my children but now as I head towards 50, no one wants to know. Re-entering the workforce it seems it almost impossible. I spoke to a dear friend about this yesterday and she told me how she was recently passed over for a role, a role that went to a much younger, less experienced woman. Another friend who has a background as a highly experienced editor sent her CV to a bunch of bookshops with no response. There is a pattern. At what point do we become too old to be considered desirable employees, past 30? Younger than that? At what point do our years of experience, our maturity and strong work ethic no longer qualify us for employment. Does having children makes us less desirable? I certainly think so. Is it easier to hire a 20 year old with no kids, no commitments and little experience over a woman who has years of experience but also children she is responsible for? Especially as single parents, all of the women I mentioned are single parents, having to start over to make ends meet and to provide for their family. Often the partners they are no longer with provide little or no child support and in several cases are perpetrators of domestic violence. Yet when these women reach out to employers and are willing to work hard and are reliable smart as fuck women they are passed over for youth and cheaper wages. This gives me the fucking shits. So what do we do? In my case, I am working on my own business so I don’t have to rely on anyone to deem me ‘worthy’ as an employee. We support each other, bounce around ideas, make each other meals, share drinks, who the fuck knows. Anything to support each other so we know we are not alone, so our mental health doesn’t deteriorate into a pile of dog shit. Business owners need to start valuing experience, talent, maturity, work ethic and what we have to offer. I am absolutely not saying that a younger person does not have these qualities but consider us aswell when hiring. That is how we support each other, let’s build each other up. I want to support women rebuilding their lives after relationship breakdowns and as they re-enter the workforce after raising kids. Women should not be punished for these things and that is what it feels like when we are constantly overlooked for jobs we are more than qualified for. Peace
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