CNN: Prof. Gonyea Shares Aging Expertise in Light of Celeste Gay Viral Video
In an emotional YouTube video titled “57 and Broke,” aspiring actress Celeste Gay shared her struggles after leaving a corporate job to pursue acting in Atlanta, which led to financial hardship and regret. Prof. Judith Gonyea from BU School of Social Work explains that Gay’s financial struggles reflect a broader issue, as many older adults—especially women and women of color—face economic hardship in the U.S. with ageism, racial and gender discrimination, appearance bias, and the technology gap causing employers to favor other candidates.
Excerpt from “A 57-Year-Old Actress Posted an Emotional Video About Being Broke. She Was ‘Blown Away’ by the Response” by Lisa Respers France:
Gay is far from alone in her current circumstances, said Judith Gonyea, a professor at Boston University School of Social Work who has written extensively about historically disadvantaged older populations.
‘If you look at the statistics, we see how many older adults in the US are facing economic hardship — particularly women and women of color,’ Gonyea said. ‘So it is not surprising that Gay’s story resonated so much.’
Women in particular face ageism when it comes to seeking employment later in life, Gonyea said, as well as racial and gender discrimination.
‘For persons like Celeste, if they’ve been out of workforce for a period, reentering can be very difficult as employers often prioritize candidates with recent experiences,’ the professor said. ‘There’s the technology gap concerns and there’s appearance bias, because societal expectations about aging and appearance can negatively affect how older women are perceived in job interviews.’”