Excellent piece, Melinda. I'm glad you highlighted a woman's perspective on this because I feel that in our society women that age are often seen as doddering while men are viewed as distinguished. I guess it's a sub-set of ageism. My wife experiences it and hates it. Younger people will speak louder and more slowly to her like she's addlepated - and are taken aback when confronted with an articulate, hip and if need be, in-your-face woman who brooks no disrespect.

It's sad really, because there's so much wisdom and experience that comes with age, why would anyone want to ignore it? I caught one side of this in the workplace when changing careers. I think if all HR personnel had to be 55 or older, hiring and companies in general would benefit greatly by exploiting the wisdom in the personnel pool rather than only looking for "it" in 20-somethings with a degree.

Good subject to explore. Cheers! 😊👍