In a column at The Chronicle of Higher Education, the pseudonymous Kathryn Ryan worries about going on the job market at her age:

I've rewritten my CV yet again. This time I've eliminated all those pesky dates that might allow people to guess my age. I went back and forth for a long time on that one, and I'm still not entirely comfortable with my choice. Besides feeling slightly deceptive, I realize that the strategy could backfire and that search committees will probably assume that I am much older than I am.

She's 36.

By her own estimation, she has "followed the appropriate career path -- tenure-track faculty position, program director, assistant provost, and dean -- and have performed exceptionally well at each level." But with more than half of college presidents over 60 years old (up from 14% in 1986), she's worried she's being perceived as not old and wise enough to take on upper-level administrative posts.


New Kid on the Hallway, who is 38, is unsettled by the prospect of a dean in her mid-thirties:

In theory, I'm all about judging based on the background/experience, not someone's age. In practice, it appears I've run up against a prejudgment about what I'd expect of someone in such a position. Which is, honestly, someone older than 36. (Not sure what my cutoff would be. 40, maybe? Not like that's not completely arbitrary or anything. Check back with me in three years about whether I feel the same way...)

There's lots of interesting discussion in the comments of New Kid's post--go read them.


Dean Dad doesn't pull any punches in his reply:

Wow. Which part of "age discrimination" don't you understand? Would you, personally, support the candidacy of a dean who was unmarried? Would you, personally, support the candidacy of a dean who attended a different church than you? What about someone overweight? Or short? Gotta look the part, you know.

The fact that the question was addressed respectfully in the comments shows just how deep this bias actually runs.

I'm in my thirties, and look it. I don't get mistaken for a student, but I'm not graying yet, either. In any other industry, I would look like most people at a comparable rank.

But in higher ed, as the average ages have moved up, the expectation that leaders will be eminences grises has taken hold. It wasn't always so; as the article points out, in 1986 only 14 percent of college Presidents were over 60. Now, nearly half are. As with the "contagion of obesity" studies, which have basically found that people determine 'normal' by looking around them, there's a contagion of reverse ageism. The kicker, of course, is that if you do the math, it quickly becomes apparent that some of the folks who just couldn't handle the idea of hiring someone under fifty were, themselves, hired under fifty. But that was a long time ago, and the gradual aging-in-place has been happening for so long that it seems like things have always been this way.

What makes this bias so frustrating, other than the obvious, is that it's self-reinforcing. As the age bar moves ever-higher, it becomes harder to find 'suitable' candidates. So we see the same faces popping up all over, as they rearrange the deck chairs while the ship sinks. We complain that campus leadership is a bunch of old white guys, but we reject younger candidates, both men and women, for not being old enough. Alrighty then.

Diversity is more than race and gender. The fact that I even have to make this point makes me want to bash my head against the wall.

The sentiment is very much in keeping with Dean Dad's philosophy. In a post a week before this one, he wrote of his generation, "It's our turn to step up to the plate."

Professor and former attorney Seeking Solace weighs in:

Should someone make apologies for accomplishing their professional goals a little earlier than what is expected? Should we cut someone off at the knees because of ambition?

As for myself, I make no apologies for attaining success at an early age or doing things that are not "age appropriate" for my profession. I have been a successful attorney, small business owner (law practice) and college professor and I am only 39 years old. You could call it drive or ambition that fueled my early success. But I think most of it is because of a arrogance on my part to do things because someone said I could not do it for whatever reason. (Think: race, gender and age).

Anastasia joins the conversation by focusing on the time required for personal and professional development rather than the speed through which one ascends through the ranks:

The thing is, doing things early or fast, it isn't always best. So while you may be rewarded up to a certain point for getting done fast, early, young, there's a point where that goes away and what people want to see is accomplishment built up over time. And for that, there is absolutely no substitute for time. For steady work. Consistency.

That isn't about discrimination. It's about development. And everyone, no matter how talented, needs time to develop.

[....]

Let me end with an anecdote. I know one person who graduated with a PhD at 24. He is in a field where he came in straight from undergraduate and he finished quickly. He is very intelligent. He's also very young, no mistaking it. It's apparent in that he lacks maturity. He struggles with teaching because of that lack. He brags out of insecurity and well-worn habit. He has been praised too much, pushed too little. That makes him a less than compelling colleague. He's also less seasoned as a scholar because he is literally only four years out of undergrad. For all of those reasons, he struggled to find employment after graduation.

Is any of that ageism? I honestly don't think so. It would be if assumptions were made about him simply based on his age. But, in point of fact, I don't think that's been the case. The reality is there are certain deficiencies that are owing to his age, which he hasn't had time or inclination to address. Taking his time may have been the wiser course of action, not so he could be meaninglessly older when he sought employment, but so that he could develop personally and intellectually.

What do you think? In your field--academic or not--is there discrimination against the young?

Leslie Madsen-Brooks, who after reading all these posts is feeling pretty unaccomplished at age 32, helps university faculty improve their teaching. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box.