Impact of Gray Hair in Business Remains Conflicted

Even as the workforce continues to age, the answer to the question whether gray adds gravitas for those seeking to be hired or promoted or is a drawback that is best disguised depends on the circumstances. According Dave Carpener, writing for the Associated Press, experts suggest that Americans are ambivalent about gray hair in the workplace--with some companies eager to hire the gray-haired, while in some other areas there is extreme discrimination against older workers. There may also be sex-based differences, with women feeling less comfortable going gray in the workplace than men.

Source: "Gray Hair: Job Asset Or Liability?" CBS News (March 29, 2005)