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Talent
Why we should cherish women over 50
Published January 22, 2026 in Talent • 4 min read • 
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Multigenerational teams bring competitive advantages. It’s vital to tap into the wisdom and experience of older workers, urges Shelley Zalis.
Longevity has changed the leadership equation. With six generations now working side by side, age is a collection of lived experiences that shape how we think, create, and lead. Women over 50 represent one of the greatest untapped advantages in the global workforce, offering wisdom, perspective, and leadership maturity that can accelerate innovation and inclusion.
The most successful organizations will be those that intentionally design for longevity, valuing wisdom as currency, fostering collaboration across generations, and redefining success not by age or title, but by purpose and impact.
For too long, age in the workplace has been treated as a countdown clock. Women in particular have faced double jeopardy, often perceived as “too young” early in their careers and “too old” later on. Longevity calls for a new mindset. Wisdom is a form of currency, and when combined with innovation, it fosters sustainable growth and more human-centered leadership.
With longer life expectancy and the largest transfer of wealth in history underway, women over 50 are driving consumer and capital markets. Freed from many caregiving responsibilities that limited their careers, they bring perspective, resilience, and leadership maturity that can strengthen every organization.
Investing in women over 50 is not an act of inclusion; it is strategy. They are consumers, decision-makers, mentors, and boardroom contributors whose experiences reflect the evolution of the modern marketplace.
The longevity dividend: representation and reflection
Today’s workplace encompasses six generations, ranging from Gen Alpha interns to experienced leaders. When companies intentionally design teams to reflect this full range of ages and perspectives, they unlock the “longevity dividend”, the compounded advantage that comes from pairing youthful curiosity with seasoned judgment.
Younger employees bring energy, digital fluency, and new ways of thinking. Experienced employees bring foresight, historical context, and wisdom gained through lived experience. Together, they create a balance that fuels innovation, connection, and continuity.
At The Female Quotient, we call it “pairing and sharing” because learning is no longer one-directional; rather, it flows across generations, creating mutual growth and deeper understanding.
General Electric (GE) provides a powerful example. Under former CEO Jack Welch, GE paired senior executives with younger employees to exchange insights and knowledge. Executives gained exposure to emerging technologies and cultural shifts, while younger employees developed strategic and leadership skills. This approach fostered collaboration, broke silos, and kept the company adaptive to change.
Pairing and sharing builds inclusive leadership by design. It removes hierarchy, encourages curiosity, and ensures that wisdom and innovation coexist.
Career success no longer follows a linear path: purpose, not position, defines leadership.
Redefining success: purpose over age
Career success no longer follows a linear path: purpose, not position, defines leadership. Longevity gives us the time and freedom to reinvent ourselves, often more than once. Women are leading this transformation, choosing second and third acts that align with passion, purpose, and impact.
- Martha Stewart went from stockbroker to media mogul and continues to reinvent herself in her 80s.
- Oprah Winfrey evolved from television host to global leader in philanthropy and conscious storytelling.
- Josie Natori transitioned from investment banking to fashion entrepreneurship rooted in cultural identity.
- Vera Wang designed her first wedding gown at the age of 40, building one of the most influential brands in fashion.
- Indra Nooyi, after leading PepsiCo, is shaping new models of corporate governance and caregiving policy.
These women demonstrate that success is not about climbing higher, but about aligning more deeply with one’s purpose. Longevity gives us the time to evolve and grow. We don’t age out; we level up.
Designing for longevity: a leadership imperative
Longevity is here to stay, and organizations must design for it with intention. This requires more than policy change; it requires a cultural redesign in the following ways:
- Create pathways for women over 50 to thrive, not just remain, in the workforce. Build leadership pipelines, “returnships”, and board opportunities that value experience as strategic capital.
- Champion multigenerational collaboration. Six generations working together means six sets of perspectives that can drive new growth.
- Recognize wisdom as currency. The experience of living through cycles of change offers insights no algorithm can replicate.
- Align products, services, and investments with the power of women 50+. They are the most influential consumers and a driving force in innovation.
Longevity is not simply about living longer. It is about thriving longer, and how we enable that for others and embrace it for ourselves. Women are shaping the future of leadership with wisdom, purpose, and possibility.
The lesson for modern organizations is clear: design workplaces where every generation learns, contributes, and grows together. When we pair and share across age and experience, we create the most powerful advantage of all: collective wisdom.
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