According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ageism refers to the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination towards others or oneself based on age. Despite all the progress, ageism is still rife in the workplace, especially with women as targets.
For example, in January, a Scottish woman lost a $5 million employment dispute with her company over her complaints that she was given a nickname by colleagues “Christine Lagarde” due to her grey hair. Lagarde is the president of the European Central Bank and has grey hair.
The 52-year-old Scottish woman took offence at the nickname and sued her company, claiming she was a victim of “a culture of sexism and ageism” and bullying by colleagues before she was made redundant.
However, Judge Bernice Elgot dismissed the claim and said that being nicknamed Christine Lagarde was “part of the irritation of day-to-day office life which occasionally occurs.”
While the Scottish legal case was likely correctly adjudicated, it presented a commonly felt bias in most workplaces.
People don’t talk about things like age and grey hair. The senior leadership teams often roll out plans for DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) mandates, but that’s often little more than platitudes.
They are very good at ticking boxes and taking public accolades for such initiatives. Yet I am often sceptical that real buy-in to inclusion is there.
George Clooney is an excellent example of the perceived differences in grey hair between men and women.
If a man like Clooney chooses to go grey, there is an element of bucking the trend. He’s putting himself out there. He became more visible. There’s no judgement on a man going grey. Clooney is often called a ‘silver fox’ because going grey on a man is distinguished.
But for women, the opposite happens. Rather than becoming more visible, they tend to become invisible. People will assume, or make comments, that a woman looks a lot older, which can be attached negative connotations.
Dyeing grey hair is a woman’s choice, not a judgement of women who choose to do this. But if women decide not to dye their grey hair, as with the story from Scotland, they risk getting harmful and sometimes hurtful comments.
For example, in January, a Scottish woman lost a $5 million employment dispute with her company over her complaints that she was given a nickname by colleagues “Christine Lagarde” due to her grey hair. Lagarde is the president of the European Central Bank and has grey hair.
The 52-year-old Scottish woman took offence at the nickname and sued her company, claiming she was a victim of “a culture of sexism and ageism” and bullying by colleagues before she was made redundant.
However, Judge Bernice Elgot dismissed the claim and said that being nicknamed Christine Lagarde was “part of the irritation of day-to-day office life which occasionally occurs.”
While the Scottish legal case was likely correctly adjudicated, it presented a commonly felt bias in most workplaces.
People don’t talk about things like age and grey hair. The senior leadership teams often roll out plans for DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) mandates, but that’s often little more than platitudes.
They are very good at ticking boxes and taking public accolades for such initiatives. Yet I am often sceptical that real buy-in to inclusion is there.
George Clooney is an excellent example of the perceived differences in grey hair between men and women.
If a man like Clooney chooses to go grey, there is an element of bucking the trend. He’s putting himself out there. He became more visible. There’s no judgement on a man going grey. Clooney is often called a ‘silver fox’ because going grey on a man is distinguished.
But for women, the opposite happens. Rather than becoming more visible, they tend to become invisible. People will assume, or make comments, that a woman looks a lot older, which can be attached negative connotations.
Dyeing grey hair is a woman’s choice, not a judgement of women who choose to do this. But if women decide not to dye their grey hair, as with the story from Scotland, they risk getting harmful and sometimes hurtful comments.
Here are a few tips for dealing with ageism in the workplace.
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