Cindy Thorp, 64, has no plans to leave her job as a corporate meeting planner at Dunkin’ Brands, where she worked from 2010 to 2016. She has worked in the industry for many years and has deep knowledge and supplier relationships.
“They ended up hiring a twenty-something customer service person whose only events experience was working as an intern in college and gave her the title of Corporate Meeting Planner.” She was paid significantly less than Thorpe. many.
“I’m surprised they gave her this title,” she said. “You have earned this title.”
Thorpe believes her age and remuneration contributed to her decision to be fired. “You see a lot. When a woman gets laid off at 60, it’s hard to find another job. You’ll never get to that level because no one will give you the opportunity.
She later started her own temporary staffing company, MeetingsNEvents. “I’ve soared since then. I really want to go back on my own.
A different version of the same story comes from the software giant’s former senior director of global events. The 51-year-old lost her job at the end of 2022 after working for the company for more than 23 years. New leadership eventually brought in younger employees, bringing the department’s headcount to 14.
“At that time, they didn’t add any events to our program. I could do the work of five to seven of them,” she said.
A recent Women of Influence+ survey of 1,258 female respondents from 46 countries revealed that 77.8% said they had experienced age-related discrimination in their careers. Nearly half (46.2%) believe age discrimination against women is an “ongoing problem.”
“Women never reach the right age,” one interviewee said. “We’re either ‘getting pregnant’ or we’re getting pregnant? ‘Too old.’
Why are women at risk of age discrimination?
Many of these senior staff facing layoffs are women, but why? Dawn Penfold, founder of Meetingjobs, said this was partly because some women had difficulty dealing with C-level decision-makers. “Of course, this is a common phenomenon, but traditionally men are always better at this. Is it because C-class respects men and thinks they are better? I don’t know the answer.
She also believes that some women are not good at self-promotion. “It’s easy to look at the work of middle managers, walking around the halls on site and meeting everyone face to face. But when you get to the higher levels, you become more strategic in nature.
“Traditionally, women have been more in the background, making it happen but not necessarily making sure that other people know they’re making it happen.”
Dr. Rumeet Billan, CEO of Women of Influence+, says the way to change this is to get more women at the top of organizations. “Having women in leadership positions affects whether ageism is addressed within an organization,” she said. “However, any leadership – regardless of their gender identity – has a responsibility to recognize and address ageism.”
It’s also important for women to decide whether it’s time to leave, said a 45-year-old female senior meeting planner with CMP qualifications and more than 20 years of experience. “In my case, I stayed too long. Instead of retiring, I created new opportunities and grew in ways that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do if I had stayed.
