2020 / Pnina Alon-Shenker and Therese MacDermott

Intersecting age and gender in workplace discrimination complaints

Older female workers experience significant barriers in the labor market. Despite the growing proportion of women in the labor force, gender wage gaps and gendered occupational segregation are still major problems.1 Non-standard employment and precarious work are more common among women than men.2 Women also bear significant unpaid caregiving responsibilities and experience interrupted paid working lives.3 As female workers age, these challenges often lead to increased vulnerability and can severely impact their socioeconomic status, health, and well-being.4 While demographic trends have notably affected the composition of the workforce with increasing participation rates among older workers,5 it is harder for older women than older men to find jobs,6 which often leads to long term unemployment, financial insecurity and work displacement.


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