07/02/2026
Hollywood Careers Reveal Evidence of Age Bias, Sy Syms Researchers Find
A new study by Dr. S. Abraham Ravid, Sy Syms Professor of Finance at Yeshiva Universityโs Sy Syms School of Business, and Dr. Shu Han, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, examines whether age and gender affect who gets hired to lead major projects.
Their findings, โDo Age and Gender Affect Managersโ Careers? Evidence from the Career Paths of Movie Directors,โ suggest past success matters most. Directors with stronger box office returns, better reviews and more experience were generally more likely to be hired again.
But performance was not the whole story. After accounting for previous success, the researchers found that age remained a significant factor. Hiring prospects tended to peak when directors were in their late 30s or early 40s, then gradually declined.
โOne of the most surprising findings was that age mattered even though almost all of the directors in our sample were younger than 61,โ Han said. โIn fact, we found evidence of age effects even among directors younger than 50.โ
The study also found that women accounted for only about 12% of new directors entering the profession. Once women became directors, however, the researchers found relatively little evidence that simply being female reduced the likelihood of getting another directing job.
โIf we find evidence that age matters in such a visible environment,โ Ravid said, โthen it is reasonable to wonder whether age matters even more in industries where hiring decisions are less transparent.โ
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