Many developed countries are facing the problem of their populations aging. Because of the low fertility rates and the life expectancy becoming longer due to medical advancements, older people are becoming a bigger part of the population. Which means less people in the workforce and more pressure on the younger people to guarantee social security for the people who have reached their retirement age.
The aging population is related to another problem which is that people who are near their retirement age are often fired to be replaced by younger people although they still have several years until they can properly retire. Even though this problem is relevant for both sexes, it is especially evident among older women.
Twitter users are discussing this issue recently after a woman shared her story of how she was forced to leave her workplace because she wasn’t wanted there because of her age. It’s almost like she has expired as a professional and as a human being. Others started sharing their own stories and expressed their opinions on the matter.
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A woman on Twitter shared how devastated she feels after being fired from her job just to be replaced by a woman 40 years younger
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Women already have to deal with all kinds of discrimination in the workplace and it doesn’t get easier when they get older. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports that by 2050, a fourth of people in the Asia-Pacific region will be older than 60 and most of them will be women.
Even though we know what to expect in the years to come, many countries aren’t prepared to adapt to the new demographic situation. To help the economy, sometimes countries may raise the retirement age, but it actually makes it even harder to have a fulfilling life because few employers want to hire older people.
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Elektra is 62 years old and she felt that the company had been trying to get rid of her for the last 3 years
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According to the Urban Institute, unemployed women who are between the ages of 50-61 are 18 percent less likely to be hired in comparison to women between the ages of 25-34. Women who are 62 or older are 50 percent less likely to be accepted in a new job than the 25-34 age group.
Which is very concerning because according to the WHO data, the average life expectancy in the US for women is almost 81 years old, so they very much can and in many cases need to work. What is more, in the US, if a person was born in 1960 or later, they can retire only at 67 years old, so until then, they should have the opportunity to work.
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Elektra described the reason for being replaced as just aging out because she still was good at what she was doing
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It is easy to dehumanize the numbers that various data provides, but they still represent real people. And they are actually sharing their experiences publicly, we just have to listen and not ignore them.
One of those stories that drew a bit of attention is of Twitter user Elektra who started by stating that she needed a hug. At 62 years old, she lost her job and was obviously replaced by a younger worker. In the original tweet, she mentioned she was 25, but later corrected herself saying that she was actually 22 years old.
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The tweet went quite viral and many people were also sharing their own experiences
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Elektra felt that the company wanted her replaced even earlier, three years, actually. She felt humiliated and hurt. She doesn’t mention what gave away what the company did, but usually older women start getting less work, they stop being invited to important events and their opinion is valued less and less, despite being excellent professionals.
It’s weird how aging men are more often associated with wisdom, experience and bigger professional value but aging women have to hear how their grey hair is showing so they should dye it and that they should also use anti-wrinkle creams.
Apparently it can happen to men too; companies just want to have a young staff
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While realizing that losing a job is really a big misfortune, other women were encouraging Elektra to not give up because she still has a lot to offer
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It is hard to not see the distinction between women and men, but we have to admit that older people in general are more often ignored because there is a distorted conception of who they are as people and professionals. Companies may think that they are hard to please and that they are not that good with technology, which is not always the case.
What is more, older people have different experience and knowledge than the younger generation so their contribution to the company would not be less valuable just because they were born earlier than others. Teams in companies may actually really benefit from having both older and younger people as they could teach each other the things others are not so great in.
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As the population is rapidly aging, more older people are unemployed and companies pushing them from the job market won't benefit anyone
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In response to Elektra’s story, other women shared their own experiences. They didn’t even need to look up statistics and diagrams to know that women above the age of 50 will most definitely be not the first choice if a recruiter has another job application from a younger person.
Women showed support to one another and encouraged each other to not give up. Losing a job because you clearly realize that you were simply replaced because of your age can really damage a person’s self-confidence, so Twitter users assured Elektra that there is nothing wrong with her.
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It's even harder when those older people are single and alone so they can't even depend on someone to support them
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The problem more likely lies in the companies that are not willing to give a chance to people that just match the requirements they need for a certain job. Some positions require fast learning, which young people are good at, other positions require knowledge and experience, which are more often possessed by older people. Professionals of all ages have qualities that are beneficial in a workplace, so focusing on just one age group doesn’t help anyone.
Maybe you disagree? We would like to know if you think the problem actually exists or if there are real reasons why older women are not desirable employees. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!