Career barriers and the older woman manager

Abstract

Following the removal of the age retirement barrier in Australia, it is expected that more older workers will remain in the workforce beyond the age of 65. An important segment of this older workforce is the managerial and professional woman, aged in her 50s and part of the first generation of women to have had a long‐term career. This paper reports on an investigation into the career and life decisions of 33 such women in Perth, Western Australia. The research looked at issues such as career histories and future work goals; impact of ageing process on career achievement, and retirement plans, and also examined the implications of barriers facing the older career woman. The research identified five related career barriers and goes on to examine the management and organisational implications of these barriers. The need to further develop career development models to include the varying circumstances and experiences of older women employees is also discussed.