Abstract

Despite growing numbers of women wanting or needing to be employed beyond the age of 50, women’s experiences of job loss and re-entry at this life stage remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap through in-depth qualitative interviews with thirty women in England navigating job loss and/or re-entry in their 50s and 60s. The findings reveal these women frequently feel overlooked and undervalued by employers, encountering barriers such as overly complex application processes and employer preferences for recent experience over transferable skills. Many also grapple with anxieties about health, cognitive abilities, technological know-how, career history gaps, and perceptions of being seen as less desirable than younger, more “malleable” candidates, with some feeling their expertise are seen as a “threat” rather than an asset. Negative interactions with the Job Centre were common, with participants feeling treated like inexperienced school leavers and receiving inadequate support. Compounding these challenges, most women are juggling caregiving responsibilities, unpaid community work, and high unpaid domestic workloads alongside their job searches. This combination of obstacles often leaves them feeling underutilised, undervalued, and consigned to the “scrap heap”, despite their considerable skills, experience, and potential.

Speaker's presentation

Dr Helen Kowalewska is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at the University of Bath, UK. Her research explores women's employment across high-income countries and how social policies can reduce or potentially worsen gender inequalities. Previously, she held postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford and University of Southampton, where she also completed her PhD. Her research has been published in leading journals, including European Sociological Review, Work, Employment & Society, and Journal of European Social Policy, and contributes to policy debates on family, work, and gender equality.

Introduces

Agnese Vitali, Università di Trento

Discusses

Giovanni Minchio, Università di Trento