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Gender and Age Discrimination Faced By 50-plus Brit Women

A new study has revealed that 80 percent of 50-plus British women believe their age has prevented them finding work.

by Tanya Thomas on February 21, 2011 at 9:16 AM

A new study has revealed that 80 percent of 50-plus British women believe their age has prevented them finding work.

The study by isme.com has revealed that mature Brit women feel they had been overlooked in job interviews or felt they would be unlikely to win new positions.


The study found that women over 50 feel discriminated against in professions outside of the media as well.

Some 77 per cent of those surveyed claimed they had been overlooked for promotion due to their age while more than half felt they were unlikely to achieve any further career progression.

Just over a third of the 1,246 women over 50 questioned felt they had a successful job.

"This research tells us what we've all known for some time-that reaching 50 means that society starts treating you differently," the Daily Mail quoted Lynda Bellingham, the new face of isme.com, as saying.

"But times are changing and women are standing up to be counted. With a third of the population now aged over 50 we are a voice that society cannot afford to ignore.

"Reaching 50 is the start of a new, often liberating, chapter in our lives-many of us feel more body confident than ever before, we take pride in our appearance and have a great sense of style and are feeling more empowered that ever," she said.

The survey found mature women felt most unhappy with the job market in Brighton, with 88 per cent of over 50s expecting to be overlooked in interviews.

The city with the apparent least age discrimination was Leeds, with 66 per cent of respondents feeling their age would prevent them gaining employment.

Source: ANI

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