It happened during every ageism workshop I facilitated.
Someone would come up to me and say, "That workplace age discrimination thing you talked about. It happened to me, my partner, my mom."
It was true in cities and in small rural communities. It happened in a sixth grade classroom where one little boy told me he thought that was why his grandmother cried a lot; she'd been laid off a year ago and couldn’t find another job.
Then I received a LinkedIn message from a former intern at my consulting company. "Is it ageism if someone is discriminating against you because you're younger?" she asked. She explained that a professor in her department had decided that he would present her research at an upcoming conference — she and couldn't help but feel that it was because she was a younger woman.
That message changed how I understood this problem. Ageism not only pushes out experienced workers, but also silences younger ones. Hiring data confirms this: A Resume Builder survey found that 42 percent of hiring managers admit they consider a candidate's age when reviewing resumes. Thirty-six percent acknowledged bias against Gen Z applicants, and 34 percent expressed the same bias against candidates over 60.
Their concerns about older applicants were that they might retire soon or struggle with technology. Younger applicants? That they lacked experience or professional maturity. The bias affects both sides, and neither version holds up under scrutiny.
With Global Intergenerational Week coming up April 24 to April 30, let’s look at what research actually shows about working across different generations and what we can do now to create workplaces where no one feels discriminated against for how old they are. It’s spring — the perfect time to clean out all those age-based stereotypes.
The numbers tell the story
AARP's latest research shows that 64 percent of workers aged 50 and older have experienced or witnessed age discrimination on the job.
But ageism doesn’t only flow in one direction. A 2025 iHire survey found that Baby Boomers (36.8 percent) and Gen Zers (39.7 percent) both report being treated differently because of their age at significantly higher rates than Gen Xers or Millennials.
And the study published in Harvard Business Review that reshaped how many of us think about this issue? Researchers Amy Diehl, Leah Dzubinski, and Amber Stephenson surveyed 913 women and found something many of us have felt but could not name: "No matter what age the women were, it was 'never quite right' for leadership." Women under 40 were dismissed as inexperienced. Women over 60 were seen as past their prime. Women in their 40s and 50s faced bias tied to family responsibilities and menopause. I call it Goldilocks Syndrome: We are never just right.
Now add AI to the mix, and women are getting hit hardest
All of this is being amplified by artificial intelligence — and women are bearing the brunt.
A joint study from the International Labour Organization and Poland's National Research Institute found that women face higher risks in their jobs from generative AI. Meanwhile, Stanford researchers have documented that AI hiring tools both reflect and reinforce societal bias. Their findings show that large language models used in recruitment amplify discrimination against older working women in particular.
Too many women face a double bind: age bias from the people across the interview table and age bias built into the algorithms that decide who gets there in the first place.
What we can do — starting with each other
Real change does not require a corporate initiative. It starts with us. Here are four places to begin:
Examine our own assumptions. We can’t combat the very real problem of ageism directed against older people by diminishing the experience, insights, and knowledge of those younger. Before thinking "they're not ready" about a younger colleague — or "they won't adapt" about an older one — ask yourself whether you are seeing the person or the birth year. In my workshops, I encourage people to ask this simple question when they encounter stereotypes: “Why do I believe this?”
Connect across generations intentionally. Research shows that intergenerational connection reduces ageism. My colleague Arielle Galinsky, founder of The Legacy Project, a national nonprofit connecting younger and older adults for multigenerational friendship, reports that “younger participants leave the programming with reduced age-based stereotypes and a stronger appreciation for multi-generational collaboration, which translates into a greater willingness to act as allies to older workers upon beginning employment.” Seek out a mentoring relationship that benefits both sides. I have seen this transform teams in my workshops. You don’t need permission to start the conversation.
Advocate for age inclusion where decisions are made. Ask your organization whether age is included in its DEI framework. For many companies, it still isn't. And with AI tools now screening resumes in ways that amplify age bias, push for audits of those systems as well. When new project teams are being formed, push for intergenerational representation.
Support each other — fiercely and deliberately. This is the one I care about most. Share job leads with the woman who has been searching for six months. Recommend the 28-year-old for the panel she would be perfect for. Amplify the voice of the colleague who keeps getting talked over in meetings. Write the LinkedIn recommendation. Make the introduction. We are each other's greatest resource, and the most powerful thing we can do right now is refuse to let anyone — at any age — become invisible. When one of us rises, it clears the path for the rest. So let us be intentional about clearing that path for one another.
The bigger picture
With five generations working side by side for the first time in history and AI transforming the landscape beneath us, we face a choice. We can let stereotypes and algorithms put us into boxes, or we reach across divides and build something better together.
Global Intergenerational Week centers on this very idea. Whether you host a cross-generational coffee chat, sign up for a reverse mentoring program, or simply sit down with someone 20 years older or younger and ask, "What do you wish people understood about your experience at work?" — you can be part of the change.
It’s not too late. Not to change a culture. Not to start something new. Not to be exactly who you are — at whatever age you are — and bring every bit of what you have learned to the table. Together, we rise.
Janine Vanderburg is an ageism and age inclusion expert and the CEO of Encore Roadmap.
