Age-discrimination Quote by Barbara Ehrenreich
““Less mutable qualities, like age, may have worked against me too. My résumé revealed only that I was probably over forty. But even that relatively youthful status could have repulsed many potential employers. Business journalist Jill Andresky Fraser warned me that a forty-plus woman was unlikely to be hired except by someone seeking a “motherly secretary,” Katherine Newman, among others, has documented corporate age discrimination, quoting, for example, a Wall Street executive who told her, “Employers think that [if you’re over forty] you can’t think anymore. Over fifty and [they think] you’re burned out.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Age Discrimination Myth,” 1995
Age bias devalues experience, leading to unfair hiring practices and loss of talent.
In simple terms: Age bias harms both workers and employers.
Key Takeaway
Challenge age stereotypes in hiring.
Themes
ageism
employment
bias
diversity
Mood
critical
empathetic
Type
analytical
advocational
When to use this quote
- job interviews
- HR policies
- career counseling
- organizational training
- advocacy campaigns
Key Concepts
sociology
law
business ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions about age affect hiring decisions?
- How can organizations value experience over age?
A Different Perspective
Changing entrenched beliefs can be slow.
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