Older Women in the Workforce | ProductiveandFree

One of the most important assets available to organizations is diversity and inclusivity. It refers to a workforce comprising people of different ethnicities, social and economic backgrounds, and age groups.

This type of workplace can have several benefits, such as mentorship, adaptation to change, a broader skill base, and increased productivity. The Harvard Business Review offers us a glimpse of the forgotten dimension of diversity. It states that companies hiring with this as their end goal also succeed in retaining employee commitment and satisfaction.

In this article, we will focus exclusively on older women. This demographic has much to offer to a workplace due to experience and expertise. They can play a key role in training the younger staff, promoting the brand, and providing customers with personal attention.

However, this group continues to face some serious productivity challenges. Let’s look at what they are and some ways to overcome them.

Physical Limitations and Issues

After a certain age, stamina reduces and so does the drive to work. This may have nothing to do with an individual’s passion but their physical health. A woman who is 50 years or older can face a range of health issues, including heart disease and osteoporosis, that may hamper her productivity.

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a lot of older women face disparities in terms of healthcare access. This will only aggravate the problem. In some cases, there may be no significant health issues involved. Take the example of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a condition commonly affecting 15.7% of adult women.

It is the problem of an overactive bladder that may require frequent restroom breaks. This in itself can become a hassle at the workplace. Now, there are some solutions for this problem, but not all are safe as they are effective.

Women can engage in pelvic floor exercises and bladder training to see better results. However, these take time to have any visible effects. Meanwhile, companies can make provisions by offering older women flexible work schedules.

Even a hybrid model where they’re allowed to work from home some days of the week is a good option. The policy should be modifiable to ensure older women with a zeal to work are not deprived simply due to health issues out of their control.

Stereotypes

The Conversation published an excellent article addressing the stigma surrounding aging women, especially in the workplace. Shocking as it is, many people, particularly those of the younger generations, consider older women to be anxious and dependent.

If she is not the CEO, she must surely be wailing in the corner looking to transfer responsibility. Ageism is a real problem in the corporate world and should not be treated as benign. Older women are made to feel diminished, simply for the sake of their age (added over the issue of sexism).

Companies can put an end to such backward thinking by providing equal work opportunities to young and old women at all organizational levels. Training sessions teaching employees to treat each other with respect must be conducted frequently. Any issues regarding ageism should be dealt with in a serious manner.

Stereotypes, even if they appear harmless, can take a severe toll on women’s mental health. Over time, productivity gets affected due to stifled creativity, decreased morale, and reduced motivation.

A Lack of Work-Life Balance

Having a proper work-life balance is crucial for sustained work enthusiasm. However, many factors can disturb one’s work-life balance, including stress, unrealistic expectations, and workplace conflicts.

In the case of older women, the previously discussed issues surrounding stereotypes and family obligations can be a major productivity buster. If these women work in service-based organizations where they may have to log in long hours, the issue only escalates.

When no proper support is available on both sides, the woman may feel trapped, helpless, and lose their enthusiasm for work. There will come a certain point where they may experience chronic burnout. Now, a lack of work-life balance can be a result of family expectations, which is something women must have a serious discussion about.

However, companies can play a vital positive role in supporting older women by discouraging a culture of overworking. Again, stereotypes should be removed to provide complete autonomy of work. If it is found that a woman is suffering from personal stress, the company can arrange for mental health counseling to help them resolve their issues.

The productivity challenges we just discussed are ongoing and will continue as newer generations join the workforce. This is why it is important to lay the groundwork for what diversity and inclusivity truly mean.

Older women are valuable organizational assets and must not be victims of gendered ageism of any kind. Empathy and compassion go a long way in cherishing them and honoring their year-after-year services.