Feb 5, 2024
Facing gender bias is tough. Add ageism to the mix, and the workplace becomes a whole different challenge. This episode examines the landscape for women over 50 in the workplace, spotlighted through Dr. Lucy Ryan's insights from her book, "Revolting Women." Addressing the dual hurdles of ageism and gender bias, Dr. Ryan explains how societal expectations shape professional experiences. She shares compelling stories about navigating menopause and caregiving, alongside strategies for midlife women. The discussion includes advice for employers, such as having midlife check-ins, to create a more inclusive and equitable environment.
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Episode Highlights
- Understand the fusion of ageism and sexism affecting workplace dynamics for women.
- Strategies for managing age and gender perceptions in professional settings.
- Practical tips for addressing menopause impacts in the workplace.
- Advice for navigating the compound challenges of caregiving, menopause, and mental health.
- Innovative approaches to combat workplace discrimination and bias.
- Steps to create menopause-friendly and supportive environments for midlife women.
- Key strategies for organizational adaptation to support midlife women’s needs.
Lucy's view on the greatest unmet wellbeing need at work today
"I'm a leadership coach, and one of the things that happens with almost every single client I coach is they don't have enough space to reflect. And it's not built into the workplace. It's as if people are going from call to call to call to call...So where do we reflect? Where do we get space to breathe? So, I would really like that to happen?"
What "working with humans" means to Lucy
We forget often that we are working with humans…But I think the organization is so busy with processes. We have jargon for everything. We have all the process going on change processes, target operating models, we have more jargon than you can throw at a person every single day. And we forget that we've just got human beings with their own lives, difficulties, joys going on every day. And that means that we need to build compassionate conversations into our workplace.”
Resources:
Follow: Lucy on LinkedIn
Visit: Lucy’s website
Read: Revolting Women: Why midlife women are walking out, and what to do about it
For a full transcript of this episode and for more episodes that give you fresh perspectives and actionable ideas for making working with other humans better for everyone, visit our website at https://en.peoplefocusconsulting.com/resources/podcast/
©Michael Glazer