The Employers Forum on Age

The Moneypenny curse! Ageism and secretaries
22 November 1999

'Typewriters to team-working' - a new study into ageism from the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) and the Institute of Qualified Private Secretaries (IQPS) - reveals the presence of widespread ageism against secretaries.

94% of respondents believe that ageism does exist in the workplace
One in three have been rejected for jobs because of their age
91% believe they stand little chance of getting a new job once they are over 45
Over 60% do not consider their level of skills an issue when applying for jobs.
The EFA/IQPS report asked IQPS members about their experience of ageism in employment. It found that ageism affected secretaries of all ages.

Over half (57%) of the secretaries who have experienced age discrimination say it was because they were considered too old. "I was too experienced and too old. I was a lot older than the manager," says one woman.

The survey also found that over a third of those who had taken career breaks, usually for family or other caring responsibilities, experienced difficulty in returning to work because of their age.

A significant proportion (35 %) of those who have experienced age discrimination say they were thought to be too young. According to one respondent: "I was considered too young to hold the demanding PA position being filled. I am 27 years with 7 years experience."

Jackie Grant, IQPS national chairman, says: "The Moneypenny curse seems to mean that a secretary's age matters more than her experience. In the current climate where competitive advantage depends primarily on the knowledge and skills of the workforce, employers are missing out by rejecting competent secretaries because they are seen as too old or too young."

There is also some evidence to suggest that in the changing world of work, today's managers are less used to working one on one with a secretary. Employers often see the job strictly in terms of keyboard bashing, whereas secretaries recognise that they have a wider role with additional responsibilities and skills.

Helen Garner, campaign director of the EFA, concludes: "It is outrageous that so many skilled and experienced secretaries believe that 45 is the end of their careers. Having battled for recognition when starting out, secretaries are then faced with the prospect of a brick wall in their forties."

Key survey findings:

94% of respondents think ageism does exist in the workplace. Only 15% know that they work for an employer with a formal age discrimination policy.
37% have been rejected for jobs because of their age - either for being too old or too young.
Only a fifth have been rejected because of their lack of skills when applying for a job, in particular a lack of IT skills
97% work for employers which offer training opportunities.
70% feel that training opportunities are better than earlier in their working lives.
91% think that once you get to 45 it is difficult to move to a new position
17% of those who took a career break experienced difficulty in returning to employment because of their age
59% of respondents felt that recruitment agencies did not offer the number of interviews they would have expected to get given their level of experience and skills
Over half had not heard of the Code of Practice, although those who were aware of it think it is a positive step.

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