Where did all the older researchers go?

Like the rest of us, I’m not getting any younger. And I’ve started to be a bit worried that when I hit a certain age, I am going to disappear, possibly in a puff of smoke.

Why do I think I am going to disappear? Because this is what seems to happen to people in the market research sector when they get older.

This survey in Marketing Week shows that 79% of people in marketing are under 45. And research by Elizabeth Norman International found that only 3% of respondents in permanent insights roles are aged 55 and over, with another 6% in contract roles. This is when, according to the ONS , 32% of people in the UK are aged over 55 and 18% aged between 55 and 69.? We are under-indexing on older people; they are disappearing from the industry.

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Why is this happening?

You could argue that it’s harder to employ older people as they want senior roles with big salaries, and in today’s flatter organisational structures there are fewer managerial roles available. And it may be that this is why some people leave the sector. There’s no doubt that it’s why many become freelance consultants, or set up their own businesses, as well as for the freedom and independence they gain by doing so. But this isn’t the case for everyone. As Liz Norman says , her experience is that, “with family and mortgage responsibilities behind them, many in that age group are happy to take lower paid roles.”

?There is plenty of evidence to suggest that, in all sectors, older people experience ageism in the workplace and find it harder to get jobs – and I’m certain this is happening in the research and insights sector too.? Ageism can include assuming that people’s skills and abilities will deteriorate as they age, or that they won’t be able to pick up new technical skills or that they will be stuck in outdated ways of doing things. But the reality is that older people bring years of experience and – like all diverse hires – bring a different point of view and perspective to the organisation.

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So what can we do?

We need to tackle ageism in the same way that we tackle any form of discrimination.?

• Awareness: ageism can often be forgotten when we think about diversity and inclusion, but when we think about marginalised groups of people, we need to include older people in that list.
• Training: most organisations offer EDI training – time to audit yours and see if it addresses the issues that older people face.
• Recruitment: one simple way to combat ageism in recruiting is to ask for ‘blind’ applications. Our sector is facing a skills shortage, so it seems senseless to exclude potentially great people on the basis of age.
• Career paths: we need to think beyond the traditional progression from research executive to director and find creative ways to fit peoples’ skills to the employment needs that we have.
• Culture: it’s no good hiring diverse people if they aren’t happy in the roles. We need to ensure that our company culture is welcoming and supportive to people of all ages. And this comes from…
• Leadership: leaders in our industry need to be transparent about their commitment to diversity and that this also includes people of all ages in all types of roles.

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The funny thing about aging is that we never think it will happen to us, but it inevitably does - if you are lucky. So let’s fight ageism in our sector, now, before we all disappear.?

If you have any experience of ageism to share, any positive stories about age inclusive practices or any ideas about this topic, please get in touch.