FORBES REVEALS FIRST-EVER ’50 OVER 50’ LIST
FORBES MAGAZINE REVEALS FIRST-EVER ’50 OVER 50’ LIST FOR WOMEN, ‘SHATTERING AGE AND GENDER NORMS’
Now this is something we can get behind. After a more than a decade of Forbes 30 Under 30 lists – the must-check survey of up-and-coming corporate superstars that tends to make readers of a certain age feel hopelessly inadequate – the business bible has unveiled its inaugural 50 Over 50 list dedicated to women.
According to Forbes, the list focuses on “the diverse voices and work of female entrepreneurs and leaders over the age of 50” and shines a light on “50 women over the age of 50 who have achieved significant success later in life, often overcoming formidable odds or barriers”. This is a much needed, positive step towards age equality and towards removing the conscious and unconscious bias around age. With Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list (launched in 2009) covering similar ground to Forbes’ 30 Under 30, a list that draws attention to some of the world’s most powerful and inspirational older women can only lead to positive action and change for the better.
The US-focused list offers a mix of familiar and not-so-familiar names. US Vice President Kamala Harris, 56, 81-year-old Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Maria Salazar, 59, are the key inclusions from the world of politics, while the Hungarian behind the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Katalin Kariko, 66, and the actor Catherine O’Hara, 67 – on screen recently as the eccentric matriarch Moira in Netflix hit Schitt’s Creek – also feature.
The list – which could well be rolled out in other territories like the 30 Under 30 List – is in partnership with Mika Brzezinksi, the 54-year-old host of MSNBC’s weekday morning show Morning Joe, and her Know Your Value platform, and is a part of Forbes’ Inclusive Capitalism initiative.
Vice President Harris, who stars on one of the launch’s four magazine split covers, has written an essay in which she looks at ways to reimagine the US economy so that every American can launch and grow a business. She writes: “It is in this reimagining that we will remain competitive – and come out of this pandemic stronger than before.”
In another essay, Maggie McGrath, editor of ForbesWomen, writes: “The 50 Over 50 list spotlights women who are rewriting the rules of success, shattering the prevailing misconceptions about age and gender in the workforce, and inspiring women – and men – through all stages of their careers.
“By telling the stories of these incredible women, and highlighting how they are making a difference in their community, industry or the world, we can also have critical conversations about the need to acknowledge the misconceptions about age and gender, and begin to change them.”
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