As we approach International Women's Day, the news cycle is typically filled with stories of rising stars and the next generation of female leaders. While celebrating these up-and-comers is super important, there isn't always the same focus on experienced women who are moving into the middle and latter stages of their careers.
That's why I think it's time we talk about the 'invisible shelf life' frequently imposed on women in their late 40s and 50s. In many ways, it's a similar phenomenon to the 'glass ceiling'.
There are a myriad of reasons why women in midlife feel pressure to downshift. Firstly, entrenched social expectations mean women overwhelmingly take longer career breaks when they have children, while their partners are more likely to continue working. Statistically, it's also women who shoulder a larger share of general domestic duties.
This trend continues with women in the 'sandwich years' being much more likely to step into caring for ageing parents, prioritising this over their career. Which is exactly the 'right thing to do' but it comes with added challenges of both financially supporting children and potentially caring for their parents all at the same time. Then there is the often unspoken factor of the transition through peri-menopause and menopause, which adds a physiological challenge to a series of social ones, making midlife one big juggle.
It's also important to acknowledge at this point that many women don't move out of the workforce at this stage of their careers unwillingly, but do so for reasons of practicality and fulfilment.
But it's the broader expectation that it should be women whose careers take a backseat when life gets busier that I think deserves attention. It's an attitude I'd really like to see change, and business leaders have a key role to play here.
There's a strong incentive to retain capable women and to make a return to the workforce as smooth as possible. We are much poorer as an industry when we lose women who have developed the very skills needed to drive business success - things like project management, high emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving abilities, and the resilience that comes from dealing with challenging situations over a long period. Experienced female leaders also strengthen businesses by serving as mentors of the next generation.
The tech industry, which I am proud to be part of, thrives on disruption, but its survival will depend on the steady hands of those who have been there and done it. Making our workplaces more inclusive is about creating an environment where women don't feel they have to choose between their families, their health, and their seat at the table. It's worth checking if your People and Culture and human resources team has specific structures in place to help women in mid-career, such as flexible working arrangements, incentives to return to roles, or inclusive office infrastructure.
At GumGum, we're building an ecosystem that actually supports the juggle better. And this starts with community. Our Australian Women at GumGum Employee Resource Group (ERG) has a mentoring program that makes it easy for our more experienced leaders to mentor others, sharing what they've learned to support the whole group.
However, the real key is a culture of trust and flexibility among all our team members. That's the unwritten foundation that lets women navigate their careers, whether that is as new parents or in mid-life, without feeling they have to trade their impact for stability. By providing proactive care models and protecting the time needed for family life, we're ensuring our team has the space to lead effectively.
This International Women's Day, my challenge to the tech community is simple: look at your senior leadership charts. If you see a thinning of female talent as the age bracket rises, ask yourself why.
Let's help each other to create a dynamic where every business goes out of its way to keep capable, mid-life, mid-career women in their roles. By protecting that depth of experience, we do better by our people and build the kind of inclusive, high-performing cultures that have been proven, time and again, to deliver real commercial results. It is time for the 'invisible shelf life' to be shelved.