A while back, an article in an online site for mature Americans, Nextavenue.org, as we euphemistically call ourselves, published a resonating piece that was shared on Facebook, and that one can view here.  I posted some of my thoughts on this, and I also offer a smattering of other inputs from other women who felt this hit too close to home.

Donna D. Immediately I think of three single over 55 women I know…in this situation…it is real…and really ugly…and the “find-a-job-online” filtering system of today hasn’t done a thing but chip away at their once-strong, now waning, self esteem.

For all the upbeat talk about self-esteem, via the feeble memes that cross your Facebook feed on a daily basis, when you tell someone that you are faltering at keeping up appearances, they somehow don’t connect how much of that self-esteem is about being a financially viable adult.

Lori P. This is a very real, very sad, economic plight visited more and more upon women aged 55 and older. Our society has just turned and looked away from this problem. We are not responding to it properly. We must remember the financial collapse of 2009 hit especially hard upon this age group of women.

When I met Representative David Cicilline (RI) at a senior citizens open house, I told him I really wasn’t the target audience for his event apart from the fact that I am apparently considered elderly from an employment perspective.  He got it.  He told me, “Your demographic has been hit the worst, particularly after the financial meltdown.”  Still, politicians who ‘get it’ aren’t really getting the job done apart from empathy and speaking to the problem.

Debi H. Appalled that there are so many of us out here. No one wants to hire us or they will hire us for a third of what we used to make. Social Security if you take it at 62 may not be enough to live on. You learn the many ways to cook ramen.

The saddest story I ever heard about college students blowing their monthly allowance too soon in the month was having to eat Cheerios (TM) with water.  Bleah.

Betsy M. I agree about not hiding – telling our stories can be incredibly powerful. However, I think it should go beyond telling a friend because that is how we bring about change. This is happening to a lot of us, disproportionately to women, and should not be a “phase” of our lives. No one should expect to live in poverty in the United States.

Hence I am posting a lot more on this blog to collect these stories and to get them shared.

Jackie L. I think this is the most authentic thing I have read on Facebook today. I am 62, in a horrendous job that I used to love. I am known for my skills and am now under the thumb of an under educated, mean 25 year old who is my supervisor. I am living on a thread, have no retirement due to a mentally ill ex-husband who squandered money and put us into debt. I am weary from trying to find new work- they simply do not hire you.

The exhaustion rivals those of working mothers who are expected to do it all.

Jennifer H. And so what happens is women who are highly educated, experienced, professional, have raised children, and managed a household turn to jobs in retail or fast food when they are 58.

Retail is highly demanding and can be stressful if you are not a natural in small talk or patience.

Tessandra O. I don’t know what’s the hardest, not being able to get decent medical care now that I’m on state healthcare, or all the friends I’ve lost because I can no longer go out and do things that take any money. Also, who wants to chat with someone who hasn’t had any happy news in such a long time. At least I’ve made friends with the homeless guy who sleeps in my carport so if I lose this place, I have someone to hang out with.

This is a “WOW”. Building alliances with the homeless so you have a community nonetheless.  I am not quite where Tessandra is however I have avoided friends I knew years ago because I really have no great news and am tired of explaining where I’ve been for the past few years.

Julia C. Sobering look at the reality of so many women. how are we to support them in a society that is so focused on how young you are and not what you can contribute? All anyone needs is a chance. Not a man to pay for everything or an inheritance. If you are not in this position. be gracious if someone isn’t keeping up with the invitations. It maybe because they are “faking normal”.

The greatest tragedy is that with so many invisible people with talent, the real economy of every day life (as opposed to the unreal Wall Street version of buying and selling and doing stock market deals) will continue to shrink.  Ultimately, you’d think it would have to bring down the entire works, so few people who truly spend won’t be buying the goods and services that will keep even Wal-Mart and other big business afloat.

Isn’t this just all a bunch of anecdotal moaning?

Well, yes and no.  PBS did a piece back at the beginning of the year, January 2016, about the perceived bias in hiring older women and how it could be verified through quantifiable research.  University of California-Irvine economist, David Neumark was interviewed and described a twist on a racial discrimination analysis, using gender and age instead.  The proof came that there is some form of discrimination, whether it was intended or subconscious, against any female candidates who sounded older than other candidates, male or female.

I have even contemplated that I could be discriminated against because of my first name, Carol.  It was popular in the the 1940s through to the early 1960s, and then it fell off a cliff, so to speak. (Social Security data can track the popularity of names for children who are recorded as “live births”).  This website, BabyNamesHub, pulls together SSA data to help people consider baby names, which disclosed that “Carol” is most often associated with women in their 70s; I’m just shy of 60.  So it just doesn’t come across as a young-sounding name (it’s worse in the UK, no baby girls were named “Carol” in 2014).

For more painful reading for us over 50 and female, PBS had a companion piece for this article.  Somehow, women who take time off to be re-productively active (having babies) are penalized for coming back to the workplace twice–missing out on the best earning years plus, now that they are no longer able to reproduce, there seems to be a view that biologically sterile translates into being useless in other realms.

Can’t catch a break.