Ageism in UX design in Ireland: The inside job
“In a meeting on 28 May 2022, Mr Williams (of Selazar Limited), told Mrs McCabe to ‘calm down’ and not ‘let the hormones get out of control’. This indicated that Mr Williams viewed Mrs McCabe as a menopausal woman. The tribunal found that he ‘would not have said this to a younger person’.” (Withersworldwide)
A few years ago, I wrote an article for the Irish Times about ageism in the tech industry. I was based in Silicon Valley at the time. Little did I imagine I would be on the receiving end of ageism myself, not too long afterwards.
Ageism is rampant in tech, and also in the user experience (UX) design side of the “industry”. Oh yes, those great empathizers, the champions of walking in others’ shoes, of promoting the inclusive value of universal design, they’re helping do exactly the opposite when it comes to hiring. They’re ageshamers. Look at the happily exclusionary pics on the websites. Do you recognize yourself?
Age discrimination is alive and well — and the exodus of older workers in the pandemic may be more of a Great Clear-Out than a Great Resignation. (CNA)
Ageism attitudes and behaviour in tech in Ireland are worse than anywhere I’ve worked. Now, there is plenty of this insidious discrimination and micro-aggression towards older people when it comes to hiring in UX too.
But nobody speaks out about ageism in the UX design employment market, or tech for that matter, in Ireland. Many are afraid to.
Why is this happening? Many reasons. Fear of being usurped. A zero-sum game mentality about inclusion. Ignorance. Infantile first point of contact in talent management. A transactional recruitment agency attitude of Human Resources. Millennial hiring managers privilege and prejudice. “They” cost too much,… the shareholders…, etc. And frankly, there is an element of fear you’ll wipe the floor with others professionally if you’re hired.
But mostly because they can get away with this stuff.
A while back, I wrote to the Commissioner for Startups in Dublin and asked her about ageism in tech startups in the city. Why was it happening? What was their response? I didn’t get a reply. I met that person later on at a conference and she were most uncomfortable with me mentioning it again.
You know how the exclusion goes: Automated email rejections, no feedback on interview performance, unanswered calls, and some very fuzzy notions told to shareholders about “no other candidates applied” or “misalignment of a cultural fit”. Complain socially and there’s silence, and the allegations of privilege are thrown at victims speaking out. Massive corporate flak is thrown up in the face of candidates looking for feedback after approaches that didn’t pan out into a hiring decision for no seeming credible performance-related reason.
What are the discriminatory UX design types and HR friends going to do when they pass the age of 45, or 50? Pull up the ladder after themselves? Protest? Trust this one: betting against your future self is offering a dead-on-arrival hostage to your own misfortune.
Google and other companies have been successfully sued for it, a 2020 survey of global employers revealed that most do not include age in their diversity and inclusion policies. (CNA)
All that stuff you read about ageism being illegal and really it’s the hiring organizations who are missing out on your experience if they discriminate against you is complete bullshit. They’re all at it and getting away with it.
Irish recruitment agencies are a complete joke.
The Double Whammy For Women Over 50 In The Workplace Today (Forbes)
Over 50 and getting the shitty end of the stick? Try adding being the wrong colour, the wrong sex, the wrong gender identification, the wrong physical ability, the wrong mental abilities condition, the wrong ethnicity, and the rest into the mix. 55-year-old woman working in a Belfast startup?
Except they’re not “wrongs”. They’re life. And that diversity of life is your across customer base too.
Anti-gay bias could reach “neutrality” in 20 years’ time (waaaaay too long and late), but on current trends it will take 150 years for the same to happen to ageism. (FT)
This discrimination is widespread and known. But it is never investigated or explored by a compliant media falling over themselves with the latest PR announcement about Dublin’s most importantest people. The ageist tropes are maintained.
The great resignation? Loads of jobs in tech in Dublin? Stop insulting people.
I’ve been made feel worthless so many times by these ageists. My mental health takes a battering from their hostility and discrimination to the point where I need professional help. That’s the experience of others too on the receiving end of the age-shaming. Reaching out for help saved me as I was forced out of working at jobs I love.
Fight it when you see it. Sue these people where you can. Don’t practice it yourself. Kick against the pricks in any way you can. You won’t get a fair hearing on Twitter.
It’s an ongoing battle you will join sooner or later. Join it now. Fight ageist policy and practice.
More reading?
- CTRL-AGE-DELETE? Ageism in the tech industry
- Tech and the age trap: why UK businesses need to be alert to age discrimination
Ultan Ó Broin is a user experience design professional from Ireland. Cancelled for living and working in tech for too long.
