New campaign aims to end ageist stereotypes
An Australian recruiter has launched a campaign to address and eradicate ageism in the accounting industry.
The newly launched campaign, ‘See the person, not the stereotype’, is a call to professional women over 50 in the accounting industry to celebrate capabilities, skills and experience despite their age.
The creator of the campaign, Sue Parker, said she wanted to establish the movement to dispel the stereotypes and self-limiting beliefs fuelling age discrimination.
According to research by the World Health Organisation and EveryAGE, 33 per cent of Australians over 50 experience workplace age discrimination.
This was followed by research in 2023 by the Australian HR Institute and the Australian Human Rights Commission which found that only 56 per cent of HR professionals were open to hiring people aged 50 to 64.
Having previously owned a recruitment agency, Parker said she knew firsthand how candidates were overlooked due to their age, especially in the accounting industry.
“Entrenched stereotypes and prejudices are to blame,” she said.
“With job searches over 50, people have expressed frustration of professional and societal stereotypes, often being fearful of hiring practices.”
Parker said the campaign was inspired by a collation of well-known American women over 50 from a California-based agency.
To establish the campaign, Parker asked women via a LinkedIn post to share their age, photo and a reason for being proud of themselves.
Parker said the post was a “huge success” with 50 women sharing their stories.
“I knew I was onto a movement that was long overdue, needed and embraced,” she said.
“Squashing age discrimination at any age is about standing up and showing who you are, not the stereotype, society, marketers, recruiters and employers believe.”
Ageing researcher, Dr Natasha Ginnivan, said it is important for women in the accounting industry to own their age, to minimise the development of entrenched age stereotypes.
“This campaign eliminates ‘age-shaming’ which has become a form of weaponising, particularly for women,” Ginnivan said.
“On a longer-range focus, it improves the collective attitudes to ageing and age expectations, which is important because studies have shown those who embrace their ageing journey, live up to 7.5 years longer.”
Parker said she aimed to support organisations and communities with stereotype guideline training and collaborations for marketing awareness.
Parker called for business communities, professional groups and individuals to help end stereotyping and initiate a conversation about changing the way Australia hires and manages staff in the accounting industry.
Another phase of the campaign directed at empowering men in their age and professional career would be established next, she said.
Parker said the awareness campaign was set to go a long way in “knocking over” stereotypes.
“A creative and empowering solution is key to reducing the harm of workplace and job discrimination across every sector and profession.”
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