Why there’s never a right age
Mark Twain once said: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Thanks Mark, but that is great if you are a man, not so much if you are a woman.
Ageing is universal— it is a gradual continuous process that affects all of us from the moment we are born irrespective of our gender, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status. When I see a memory that pops up on Facebook or look at the date on the calendar, I frequently ask myself: “Where has the time gone?”
When studying to become attorneys, we learn in law school that we need practical experience to develop our craft. As a result, aspiring lawyers search for summer associate positions or internships to obtain that coveted ‘hands on’ experience while learning about law firm or corporate culture. Upon graduation, as we enter the job market, we learn that we will require many years of training before we have the requisite experience to handle cases on our own.
For those of us in law firms, it can take anywhere from five to ten years for an attorney to advance from associate to partner. So, you would think that for attorneys that experience and ageing would be a good thing, right?
A career-long problem
No. Enter ageism—traditionally defined as a prejudice, stereotype and discriminatory behaviour that affects older workers, particularly, women. However, a recent study published by the Harvard Business Review in June 2023 revealed that women face ageism throughout their entire careers, whether they are young, middle-aged, or older. In other words, there simply is no ‘right’ age for women in the workplace. Essentially, during their careers, women face gendered ‘youngism’, gendered ‘middle-ageism’, and ‘oldism’.
As women, we are all too familiar with sexism in the legal profession—our male counterparts have traditionally been paid more, reach partnership (including equity partnership) faster, and continue to occupy most of the leadership positions within law firms. Now, we face a double whammy—ageism and sexism.
