Why Women Over 50 Are a Gift to Business and Humanity

In the animal kingdom, only 2 mammals experience menopause: whales, and humans. And some argue that Elephants have a form of menopause too. It’s a rare biological phenomenon, and it exists for a reason.

Unlike most creatures whose lives revolve solely around reproduction, these species live long past their childbearing years. Why? Because evolution has selected them to play a different role — not just as mothers, but as leaders, wisdom-keepers, and community stabilisers.

In biology, this is known as the Grandmother Hypothesis. In orca pods, older females guide their groups with knowledge of migration paths and feeding grounds. In elephant herds, matriarchs remember water sources from decades past, keeping their families alive through droughts. And in human communities, post-menopausal women have historically passed down critical knowledge, values, and emotional intelligence, shaping not just their children, but their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

This biological insight has profound implications for modern workplaces and enabled me to understand my new role as a woman.

The Wisdom Advantage

Women over 50 bring something no degree, app, or workshop can replicate: deep, lived experience. They’ve weathered economic cycles, led through crisis, balanced work and family, navigated evolving industries, and mentored others along the way. In fast-moving organisations, they are often the culture carriers who quietly hold teams together.

Age-Diverse Teams Perform Better

Cue the research:

• Productivity and Innovation: A study by the Max Planck Institute found that age-diverse teams perform significantly better on complex problem-solving tasks. The mix of experience and fresh perspective leads to more innovative thinking and better decision-making.

• Financial Stability: A 2023 PwC study of over 11,000 companies in Europe showed that businesses with a high level of age diversity in leadership had better solvency ratios and more consistent financial performance than less diverse peers.

• Workplace Effectiveness: According to Deloitte, organisations with inclusive age practices report greater employee engagement, higher retention, and improved collaboration across teams.

In short: diverse ages = smarter decisions + stronger teams + better results.

Learning Goes Both Ways

One of the most exciting shifts in modern workplaces is the growing recognition that learning is no longer top-down, it’s cross-generational. The best organisations embrace a culture where:

• The young teach the old (digital fluency, emerging trends, new-world thinking)

• The old teach the young (emotional intelligence, resilience, leadership judgment)

Women over 50 thrive in this space. They don’t just lead; they can mentor, coach, and multiply value by helping others rise. They understand that legacy is about investment in others.

Time to Reframe Value

Too often, society views ageing through a lens of decline, when in fact, it’s a season of strategic and relational influence. It’s time to reframe what “value” looks like in the workplace.
Future growth requires experience and wisdom.

And women over 50 are among the wisest voices we have.