A once-prominent fashion editor recounts her descent from a six-figure salary to relying on unemployment benefits, attributing her struggles in the job market to ageism, exacerbated by the increasing use of artificial intelligence in recruitment.
Stacey Duguid, who held editorial roles at publications including Elle and served as editorial director at Harrods, found herself applying for over 150 jobs after her marriage collapsed in 2021. Despite a career spanning three decades and experience with major fashion brands like Prada and Armani, she received no responses to her applications.
Career Shift and Financial Hardship
Following her divorce, Duguid took a period to regroup, securing a book deal and writing freelance pieces. She also engaged in occasional paid Instagram collaborations. However, when a short-term contract ended in April of the previous year, she decided to re-enter the full-time job market with the goal of securing one last major role before retirement. She dedicated herself to submitting at least ten job applications weekly and alerted her professional network to her availability.
Despite her efforts, no prospective employers contacted her. Duguid noted the rise of AI in tasks she previously performed, such as copywriting and social media content for fashion brands, prompting her to consider roles outside her industry. She applied for dozens of positions in various sectors, including aviation and consumer goods, but remained unsuccessful.
Compounding her financial strain, Duguid had to sell her Georgian house in Margate, Kent, which she had been using as a part-time Airbnb. Rising rents made finding a new place in London difficult, leading her to move to a less affluent area. An illness further exacerbated her situation, leaving her unable to afford repairs for her new home or cover basic living expenses. By Christmas, she was unable to buy presents for her children, leading her to isolate herself from friends.
The Impact of AI and Ageism
After draining her savings, Duguid's card was declined while grocery shopping, a moment she described as particularly humiliating given her past financial standing. She realized that her curriculum vitae might be filtered out by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), software that uses AI to scan resumes for keywords. A friend advised her to modernize her CV, suggesting she remove educational dates and adopt more contemporary language to bypass these automated systems.
Duguid theorizes that her age and sex may be factors, or that her extensive experience might be perceived negatively by employers. She shared her experiences on Instagram, which elicited an outpouring of similar stories from other midlife women facing comparable challenges. These included former executives, engineers, and consultants who were struggling to find employment, with some resorting to food banks or cleaning jobs.
Feedback from potential employers, as reported by Duguid's contacts, included remarks such as being "overqualified, probably bossy," "halfway to retirement anyway," and concerns about an applicant's ability to handle technology. Duguid argues that AI systems, trained on historical human biases, are perpetuating age discrimination by flagging long careers as liabilities and screening out older candidates before human review.
A Call for Change
Motivated by these experiences, Duguid has launched an online community called Encore to support midlife women facing job market discrimination. She advocates for the regulation of AI recruitment tools to eliminate age bias and calls for companies to be held accountable for the discriminatory use of technology. Duguid expressed a newfound purpose in campaigning against age discrimination, emphasizing the adaptability of midlife women and the significant untapped talent pool they represent.