A few years back, an email crossed my screen referring to another female professional as “sweet and young”—and it wasn’t meant as a compliment. It stuck with me because it echoed the early days of my career, when I was often dismissed for my age, experience, or my Forever 21 wardrobe. (And yes, the jacket still holds up.)
I was called “rough around the edges.” A colleague was a “diamond in the rough.” Apparently, rough was a favorite descriptor at the time. Early-career professionals have plenty to learn, but it’s hard to ignore how rarely men are critiqued in the same patronizing terms.
West Michigan is where I’ve built my business, career, and family (dogs, lots of dogs). It’s also where I’ve navigated sexism and ageism. Those hurdles fall hardest on young women and even more so on women of color. The question remains: why should age or gender factor into professional credibility at all?
The Persistent Reality in 2025
The patterns many of us experienced years ago haven’t vanished. Multiple 2025 snapshots show how bias still shapes careers. For example, Diversity.com’s mid-2025 roundup notes that discrimination complaints remain widespread and that EEOC charges rose year-over-year to more than 88,000 in FY 2024, with retaliation representing a large share of filings.
Promotion and pay continue to lag for women. HiBob’s U.S. 2025 analysis reports that women were promoted at lower rates than men in 2024 and that flexibility, burnout, and uneven access to growth opportunities contribute to attrition. Small and mid-market HR benchmarks similarly find women underrepresented in leadership and still contending with a persistent pay gap.
Ageism intersects with gender bias. The youngest and oldest workers face the most discrimination, with under-25 employees often dismissed as inexperienced and older workers reporting high rates of bias. Broader trendlines show that without accelerated change, parity remains decades away, as reflected in McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2024 update.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Real progress requires calling out inappropriate behavior, even when it’s uncomfortable. Increased reporting to the EEOC suggests rising awareness, but these problems persist. For young professionals, the path forward involves documenting issues, enlisting allies, and proposing solutions that organizations can operationalize.
Own Your “Rough Edges”
If someone calls you “rough around the edges,” say thank you. Those edges are part of what makes you effective and resilient. They help you communicate clearly, lean into the uncomfortable, and fight for what matters. As the late John Lewis said, don’t be afraid to make “good trouble.”
Practical Strategies
- Document consistently. With retaliation continuing to be a leading element in discrimination cases, keeping thorough records is essential.
- Advocate for transparent, data-driven people processes. Organizations are increasingly using structured criteria and analytics to reduce bias in hiring and promotion; push for those mechanisms and their regular audits.
- Build sponsorship, not just mentorship. Women remain less likely to have senior-level access; proactively seek sponsors who can open doors.
- Use the business case. Diverse leadership correlates with stronger performance; cite profitability and risk arguments to reinforce DEI as a growth strategy.
- Protect your energy through flexibility. Flexibility remains one of the strongest levers for retention and performance; advocate for outcome-based work arrangements.
The Path Forward
There’s been progress, but not enough. Structural gaps in opportunity, pay, and promotion remain. Still, every documented incident, every uncomfortable conversation, and every instance of good trouble moves the needle. Standing out can be hard; blending in is riskier. Own what sets you apart, hold others accountable, and keep pushing even when silence would be easier.
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