Her View, a new business forum by Circana, launched on October 14 with a discussion on ageism. #58andUnapologetic founder and keynote speaker Jacqueline Freeman had a clear message for employers: harness the talent of older workers. Editor Penny Murray reports.
The umbrella stand was full. As rain pelted Auckland, dozens of women gathered at Lillian restaurant in Grey Lynn for lunch and some home truths about ageing, representation and resilience in the workforce.
Her View is Circanaโs new business forum for women.
Leaders in their fields – from FMCG to marketing, retail to media – came to the event, sponsored by oOh!media, to hear from a powerhouse combination: Jacqueline Freeman and Kath Mitchell.
Media veteran Freeman told the story of how she catapulted to international prominence as a leading LinkedIn commentator on ageism. After a post about TV advertising and the over 55s went viral, she took to that platform to talk about her experience of redundancy and how tough it is to get hired – as a woman particularly – when youโre in your 50s. The posts – hashtag #58andUnapologetic – hit a nerve among the LinkedIn and wider community.
People responded with their own job hunting experiences: redundancy, ghosting, โover-qualifiedโ, despair, hundreds of job applications, months of searching, blocked by AI screening, more ghosting, financial desperation, suicide attempts. Freemanโs DMs were chocka. She knew she was on to something, so she started advocating, building a community, listening. So far, her posts have reached millions.
โI might be running the biggest focus group in the world,โ she quips as ceviche is served.
Ageism hits women earlier
The situation is bad for men in their late 50s, but is even worse for women, who start to feel the effects of ageism in the workforce from their mid-40s. No longer invited to the important meetings, sidelined, overlooked for promotion, โlet goโ (by managers 10 years their junior – ouch).
Why? Thereโs no logic to it. Womenโs minds donโt decline earlier, menopause isnโt a factor, caring commitments donโt make us worse at our jobsโฆ Simply looking older seems to be the unifying factor, says Freeman.
There is wine on the tables, but the atmosphere is suddenly very sober.
The ridiculousness of the situation is laid bare – Freeman has some stats that restore hopeโฆ if only hiring managers out there would hear. According to recent research from the IMF, a 70-year-old today has the same cognitive health as a 53-year-old in 2000. Meanwhile, a 2025 report from the OECD found nearly half of employers rate older employees as more productive than their younger counterparts.
She also speaks of the wisdom and calm that generations whoโve been round the block a few times can bring to a workplace. The experience, institutional knowledge and weathering of crises past that lead to better business decisions – yet arenโt counted when itโs time for cutting the wages bill.
There are nods around the room, and anecdotes of being replaced by younger models who screwed up at significant expense.
Freeman talks about the โgrandmother hypothesisโ, which explains why elephants, orcas and human women live long past their reproductive years to impart knowledge to future generations, guiding them through difficult times. There is enormous power that comes from embracing the wisdom accumulated through real-life experience: context, clarity, empathy, strength.
Community builds resilience
Mains are served. The food is top notch, as is the service. And soon Kath Mitchell, CEO of OOHMAA, speaks from the heart about the power of community and the invaluable mentoring and advice sheโs received from older male figures in her professional life.
โThey challenged me – in a good way,โ she says. And helped her to map a way forward after an employment shakeup.
โDo that for your friends,โ she urges the room, knowing that we will have people in our lives who have lost jobs or hope. A push from a friend or former colleague – a reminder of the kick-ass skills you have up your sleeve – feeds resilience.
So what do we do about it? The question hangs in the air. Clearly the status quo is a shocking waste of talent.
A message for recruiters
Debbie Simpson-Pudney, MC for the day and Circanaโs retail consulting director, joined Freeman to finish off the afternoon talking about solutions. Step one is simple: stop putting upper age limits on job adverts.
โThere are hiring managers in the room, and CEOs who can make this happen,โ says Freeman. There are many reasons why a midlife person might want a less senior role, for example, so itโs time we stopped screening out talented candidates โjust because of the year they were bornโ.
Itโs a message sheโs very keen for all recruiters to hear. As is her other point about responding to all candidates. Ghosting unsuccessful job applicants is nonsense – especially in this age of automatic responses – and the effect on mental health is disastrous.
Small, practical points delivered over dessert. Itโs an optimistic way to end the afternoon.
As we rise from the tables we are galvanised, ready to spread the word. The rain has stopped, itโs time for action.
