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Book cover for Revolting Women, a book by Lucy Ryan Book cover for Revolting Women, a book by Lucy Ryan

Revolting Women

Why midlife women are rewriting the rules of career success (and how to keep them in your business)
2023 ᛫


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Summary


There’s one group consistently ignored in most companies’ diversity strategies, but which could be your business’s secret weapon.

Professional women over 50 are faced with a triple-whammy of discrimination: they are not male, young, or linear in their career paths. As a result, they are leaving corporate life and taking their career into their own hands. And with it, they take their abundant wisdom, energy and ambition.

Drawing on new research by Dr Lucy Ryan that fills a longstanding data gap, this book shows that assumptions about declining midlife motivation and energy just aren’t true for women and reveals how you can retain and develop this invaluable talent pool with a better understanding of their challenges and a few simple changes.

Professional women have transformed our world. And women over 50 are deserving of your attention and ready to step up in your business.

Dr Lucy Ryan is a leadership coach, consultant, author and passionate advocate for women’s professional development. Her doctoral research project explored the phenomenon of midlife for professional women, a long-standing data gap, and she works with companies internationally to unlock the potential of this key talent pool.

Table of contents

  • Preface:

    Jane’s Story: Collision and coincidence.

    Introduction

    • Embarking on this journey

    Part 1 – What’s the problem?

    Chapter 1

    Midlife: the forgotten age

    • Crisis, what crisis?
    • The diversity conundrum
    • Lies, damn lies and statistics
    • Where have all the (older) women gone?

    Diane’s Story: The creative collaborator

    Chapter 2

    Midlife Myths in a man-made world

                #1 It’s all old news (and solved)

                #2They don't want it

                #3 We’ve got one, thanks

                #4 It’s all downhill from here

                #5 They’re mad, bad and sad

    Sarah’s Story: Going to the festival

    Chapter 3

    Looking back to look forwards

    • A brief history of female anatomy and ‘inferiority’
    • Proving the gender difference
    • Medicalising the older woman
    • Female stereotyping and leadership

    Niamh’s story: Stepping up or out

    Part II – Ageing in the workplace

    Chapter 4

    Strangers within

    • Feeding the food chain
    • The power of language
    • Acting young
    • Silver fox meets silver vixen

     Joelle’s story: the 50-minute make-up workout 

    Chapter 5

    Critical collisions

    • The midlife ‘smash-up’
    • Losing control and running on empty
    • Who Cares?
    • Empty nesting and other syndromes

     Nicki’s story: To stop, to pause, to change

    Chapter 6

    Menopause matters

    • Facts and frictions
    • Symptoms and the lived experience
    • HRT and other solutions

    Jo’s story: Dressing for the Board

    Chapter 7

    The Ticking Clock

    • Facing loss and finding purpose
    • Avoiding the ‘nasties’
    • Existential angst and the big M

    Frankie’s story: What is it worth?

    Chapter 8

    Motivation and Midlife

    • The Motivation Myth
    • The imprint of old science
    • Raring and ready to… retire?

    Claire’s story: Stepping out to step up

    Part III – Rewriting the rules: alternative perspectives

    Chapter 9

    Mirror, mirror: on the other hand

    • Energy ambition and age
    • Cyn’s story: Bucking the trend
    • Resilient midlife women
    • Brenda’s story: Braver, stronger, fitter
    • Post-menopausal zest!
    • Lori’s story: Feeding all parts of my life

    Chapter 10

    Reconfiguring success: the organisation’s perspective

    • Tackling assumption
    • Simon’s story
    • The flexible midlife workplace
    • Steph’s story
    • Creative collaboration across the generations
    • Geraint’s story

  • Chapter 11

    A positive agenda for change

    • For policy makers
    • For employers
    • For women
    • For men
    • For you

    Additional Reading and resources

    References

    Acknowledgements

    Index.

About the authors



Dr Lucy Ryan is a leadership coach, consultant, author and passionate advocate for women’s professional development. Her doctoral research project explored the phenomenon of midlife for professional women, a long-standing data gap, and she works with companies internationally to unlock the potential of this key talent pool.