The Philosophers' Cocoon

A safe and supportive forum for philosophers.

Owned & Moderated by Marcus Arvan (University of Tampa)

Contact: marvan@ut.edu

Blog mission & moderation policy

IMPORTANT NOTE on how to ensure anonymity in commenting
Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2025-26)

recent posts

about

Ageism in the academic job-market?

A reader writes in by email:

I hate to even bring this one up, but it’s on my mind from a conversation or two I’ve had; and so I wouldn’t mind at least hearing thoughts about it. Basically, it’s a worry about ageism. Is the market simply a young person’s game? Are people North of 40 not as hirable as people South of 40?

I’d like to believe ageism in academia isn’t a thing–and I definitely know some older hires–but alas, discrimination can be an insidious thing.

Do any readers have any helpful experiences or insights to share?

Posted in ,

3 responses to “Ageism in the academic job-market?”

  1. Anonymous

    I don’t know the answer to this question, but I would imagine that if younger people are preferred it’s not bc of ageism per se but rather (and related to another recent post on this blog), it’s bc depts want ppl fresh out of grad school. If you’re in your 40s but only a few years out of grad school then I kinda doubt that a dept would prefer, say, someone in their early 30s with similar credentials solely because of the age discrepancy. That’s just a hunch though.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    I think your concern about ageism is well-grounded. I have seen it in action. There is little you can do about it (as far as I can see). I try to call it out when I see it. But it is far too easy for people to determine if an applicant is “old” (looks at the dates of degrees, etc., that are standard on c.v.s), and it is very easy to cover up any explicit ageism in hiring because there are so many qualified candidates, and the evaluations of candidates are complex (many factors are considered and they are, in some sense, incommensurable). I was quite anxious about this when I was still trying to get my first tt job in my late 30s. I have had a fine career, but it has not been easy.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    A few years ago some fancy postdoc hiring committee decided that I needed to explain why there was like 10+ years between receiving my BA and my PhD. My guess is that for that fancy place, taking one’s time signals something bad like not being efficient or dedicated enough or something.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from The Philosophers' Cocoon

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading