The CEO of Women of Influence+ says something has to be done about the level of ageism that women are experiencing in the workplace.

Dr. Rumeet Billan says a recent survey, conducted by her organization, shows that of the 1250 women who participated from around the world, 77 per cent say they’ve been treated differently because of their age while at work.

“So, one of the most surprising things that we found from the study, is that it’s happening (to women) at every stage of their career,” Bilan stated.

For example, young women say they are made to feel too inexperienced, middle-aged women say they are expected to be too busy raising children, and older women report missing out on professional development opportunities, as people assume they will retire soon.

“We weren’t talking about this a couple of years ago. We’re building awareness around it, so I do think change is happening, but it happens with building that awareness, with providing training and education, and opportunities for people to discuss their experiences,” Billan says.

She adds that, in the workplace, capability needs to trump age, as many women are beginning to experience a loss of self-confidence, an increase in stress, and impaired career progression.

Billan suggests that building awareness, implementing preventative policies, and holding people accountable for their actions would help to mitigate the problem.

Meantime, the United Nations for International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on March 8th, says by investing in women, we can spark change and speed the transition towards a healthier, safer, and a more equal world for all. It’s also a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

A Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey from 2007 to 2022 indicates that in very general terms men still earn more than women, but the gap narrowed from 16 per cent in 2007 to 12 per cent in 2022.