Would you be surprised to learn that YOUNGER women – and Gen Z working women, in particular – is the demographic most likely to report the sting of ageism in the workplace? We were. And that was just one eye-opening fact in the recently published McKinsey + LeanIn “Women in the Workplace” study released this fall. (Trust us; there’s a LOT to unpack in this report – and we’re just getting started.)

Ageism – being treated unfairly due one’s age – is one we tend to associate with workers in the twilights of their careers, and that’s certainly a legitimate experience. What’s interesting, though, is what happens when you overlay gender with ageism.

In the over 50 crowd, men and women report losing out on promotions, assignments or other work opportunities at virtually the same rate. For workers ages 50-59, there’s only a four-percentage point difference between men and women experiencing this scenario. After age 60, the responses (37 percent/38 percent) are basically dead even.

But for women under the age of 30, ageism is layered atop inherent gender bias making young women the demographic reported experiencing lost opportunities. Whether being told flat out it was because they were “too young” or whether it was “kindly” insinuated (aka, “You’re time will come…” or “Don’t be in such a rush…”), nearly 50 percent said they experienced this situation. Men of the same age reported feeling the same sting of ageism at only 35 percent.

Additionally, Gen Z women were also TWICE as likely as men under 30 to have superiors or co-workers call attention to their age unnecessarily.

Research shows that these micro-aggressions are taking their toll on young, female workers, leading to increased career burnout. According to McKinsey + LinkedIn.org, “By leaving microaggressions unchecked, companies risk losing talented employees and missing out on everything these [GenZ] women have to offer.”

In an industry like print, which struggles to attract young female workers in the first place, this could be a big concern.

How can companies mitigate the risk? Check out these tips from BuiltIn on how to spot – and stop – ageism (targeting the oldest AND the youngest employees) in the workplace.