This week I heard a term that gave voice to a phenomenon I knew existed but couldn’t quite articulate: the shadow threat of ageism. It’s that ominous sense a younger person may have in the workplace, knowing opportunity will diminish as they age.
Sheila Callaham, executive director of Age Equity Alliance, described this, as well as its effects, in her recent video series. She relates a conversation she had with a man in his 30s who worked in tech. He told her that his manager, not quite 40, mentioned he was putting away as much money as he could, fearing loss of his job. When asked why—because clearly the manager was a valued employee—he answered that it was because he would soon be over 40. You can imagine what a disturbing dose of reality this must have been to the younger man, but one that would have been confirmed as he looked around the office.
It’s often said that ageism is the only “ism” we all will face. For those under 40, the threat of ageism may be subliminal, very distant. After all, you’re not there yet. Yet, you can’t help but notice on some level the dearth of over-40 employees as you look around, especially when you work for a tech company. First Round Review’s State of Startups 2018 survey of 500+ startup founders found that ageism in tech begins at 46. Pair that with the 2020 Stack Overflow Survey, which showed that only 16% of software developers are over 40. The shadow threat of ageism in this industry is significant.
VC Hunter Walk wrote recently that he noticed his young colleagues expressing worry about getting old. He says sometimes he hears from tech friends in their late 20s and, “they worry about things moving so quickly that they’re ‘old’ in some fashion.” He goes on to calm these fears and suggest how to make sure they remain relevant, but the workplace fear of becoming obsolete with age remains.
The word shadow is so expressive, so ominous. It captures the vague dread that many of us feel when we drive towards dark weather on the horizon. We tense up, we check for alternative routes, or we just let the anxiety build as we near the darkness. In the same way, those seeing ageism on the horizon at work approach it in different ways. Some take action. The manager in the story was squirreling away a nest egg as financial protection. Hunter Walk suggests upskilling to regain some sense of control. Others simply carry on, the threat ahead a gloomy psychic overhang that keeps them from doing their best work.
Seeing the inevitability of ageism in your future is unlike other career challenges because the problem is largely systemic. While you can jump over many career obstacles through savvy actions, systemic ageism cannot be wholly solved by you. Yes, you can absolutely minimize its effects. Getting a coach, adding new and valued skills, and maintaining a vibrant network, these can all help you as an individual. However, they will not eradicate ageism.
That’s why it’s important to also take on the system wherever possible. How? Talk to others in your company about the value of age diversity, no matter how old you are. If your company employs a DEI executive, speak to them about including age diversity as a goal and educating on unconscious bias. Read Ashton Applewhite’s excellent book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. And check out the work of Age Equity Alliance.
Together, we can dispel the shadow threat brought on by ageism, with a brighter and more productive workplace for all.