Any working woman over 40 will tell you that ageism is alive and flourishing

, Although I am encouraged that women in this age group in Hollywood are at long last getting the recognition they deserve, the path moving forward in the movie industry and corporations is long and arduous. Ask any woman over 40 who has worked in business, retail, education, politics if they have experienced age discrimination in the workplace.

Undoubtedly the reply would be that yes, ageism is alive and flourishing. Sublime comments, overlooked in areas of promotion are still things women contend with all while trying to make a living and forge a career to support themselves and their families. Just because women age, it does not mean that they should immediately be put out to pasture.

And that is what it has been like for too long. As Jennifer Coolidge said in her acceptance speech at the Golden Globe awards, she was given a new beginning by her director, who cast her, a 60 plus woman for a major television role. As a society and in the workplace, it is important to recognize that older women want to work, and they excel at work.

It’s not the time to repeat the patterns of old, of placing older women out to pasture after 40, like they did in the movie industries and at so many companies that failed to recognize the value of a woman as she matures through the years. The older women in the workforce need to be given the opportunity, the acceptance to effectively showcase their incredible talents and thus be given a new dawn..