¿Cómo pueden las mujeres convertir su experiencia, sus conocimientos y las nuevas tecnologías en fuentes de ingresos adicionales y nuevas?
Los ingresos son la base de la creación de riqueza. Una mujer que tiene un empleo remunerado o que obtiene beneficios de un negocio que ella misma ha creado tiene mayor capacidad para mantener a sus seres queridos, invertir en su futuro y contribuir a su comunidad.
Sin embargo, para muchas mujeres mayores de 40 años, la cuestión de los ingresos se vuelve más compleja. Los años de experiencia profesional pueden ir acompañados de interrupciones en la carrera profesional, cambios en las responsabilidades familiares, despidos, el deseo de una mayor flexibilidad o la constatación de que la trayectoria profesional que en su día imaginaron ya no les conviene.
Al mismo tiempo, la inteligencia artificial está cambiando la forma en que funcionan las empresas, cómo se organiza el trabajo y qué es lo que valoran los empleadores. Algunas mujeres se están viendo afectadas por los despidos, otras se sienten atrapadas en trabajos que ya no les satisfacen, mientras que muchas se preguntan cómo sus habilidades y experiencia seguirán siendo relevantes a medida que evolucionan los sectores y las profesiones.
Estas circunstancias pueden generar incertidumbre, pero también hacen que sea importante replantearse cómo abordan las mujeres la cuestión de los ingresos y dónde podrían surgir nuevas oportunidades.
El reto no consiste simplemente en mantenerse al día con la tecnología. Se trata de comprender en qué ámbitos tu experiencia, tus capacidades y tu criterio pueden generar valor en una economía que está cambiando a tu alrededor. Implica adoptar un enfoque estratégico ante estos cambios, identificar oportunidades y encontrar formas de llevar tus capacidades al mercado.
Para ganarse la vida en la era de la IA no basta con encontrar un empleo. Se necesita creatividad, mentalidad emprendedora, curiosidad, ganas de ponerse manos a la obra e iniciativa para convertir lo que sabes en algo que genere valor para los demás.
También significa aprender a utilizar la tecnología como herramienta y como medio para, no solo aumentar la productividad, sino también para crear. La tecnología puede ayudar a las mujeres a desarrollar ideas, poner a prueba soluciones, llegar a los clientes, desarrollar nuevas capacidades y explorar diferentes formas de trabajo y de obtener ingresos.
Y esta es una conversación en la que las mujeres mayores de 40 años deben participar.
La ventaja de la experiencia: ¿qué aportas tú?
Las mujeres suelen subestimar el valor económico de lo que ya saben.
Piensa en la experiencia acumulada a lo largo de 15, 20 o 30 años: dirigir a personas, comprender a los clientes, negociar, resolver problemas, manejar situaciones difíciles, establecer relaciones, gestionar presupuestos, desarrollar negocios o llevar a cabo proyectos complejos.
Estas capacidades no se traducen automáticamente en una nueva oportunidad. Es necesario reconocerlas, expresarlas claramente y vincularlas a un mercado que las valore.
Empieza por mirar más allá de tu cargo.
En su lugar, pregunta:
- ¿Qué problemas he aprendido a resolver?
- ¿En qué temas me suelen pedir ayuda?
- ¿Qué decisiones puedo tomar con seguridad gracias a mi experiencia?
- ¿Qué conocimientos he adquirido que podrían ser útiles para otra organización o grupo de personas?
- ¿Cuáles de mis habilidades podrían aplicarse en otro sector?
- ¿Qué podría hacer hoy que no pudiera hacer hace diez años?
Este es un ejercicio para determinar tu valor económico.
Tu cargo anterior describe dónde has trabajado. Tus capacidades ayudan a revelar hacia dónde podrías dirigirte a continuación.
Deja de esperar a que haya una vacante: crea una oportunidad
Uno de los ejemplos más interesantes de cómo enfocar la carrera profesional desde una perspectiva emprendedora lo ofrece Nicole Vanderbilt, protagonista del documental del Financial Times La carrera profesional infinita: por qué no podemos jubilarnos.
Tras ser despedida de Etsy, donde había trabajado durante ocho años, Vanderbilt empezó a plantearse cómo podría aplicar su experiencia en empresas de Internet orientadas al consumidor al mundo de los libros. Siempre le había interesado trabajar en el sector editorial. Durante la pandemia, se percató de que Bookshop.org se había lanzado en Estados Unidos y se dio cuenta de que su modelo podría funcionar en otros mercados.
No esperó a que se publicara una oferta de empleo.
Se puso en contacto con el fundador y director ejecutivo de la empresa, le explicó la relación entre su experiencia en Etsy y la oportunidad que había detectado, y le expresó su interés en ayudar a la empresa a expandirse a nivel internacional.
Su enfoque nos ofrece una lección importante: No siempre es necesario buscar un puesto de trabajo ya existente. A veces puedes identificar una necesidad de la empresa y proponer cómo podrías ayudar a resolverla.
No se trata de enviar mensajes no solicitados pidiendo que te contraten. Se trata de informarte bien, identificar una oportunidad real y presentar un argumento comercial convincente sobre tu aportación.
Para las mujeres con una amplia experiencia, esta puede ser una forma muy eficaz de abordar un cambio profesional.
Cuando la oportunidad es algo que uno mismo se la crea
No todas las mujeres que se enfrentan a obstáculos en el ámbito laboral reaccionarán de la misma manera. Algunas seguirán aspirando a ocupar un puesto dentro de una organización. Otras pueden descubrir que el problema al que se enfrentan pone de manifiesto una necesidad más amplia que no se está abordando.
La historia de Stacey Duguid ilustra esta segunda vía.
Tras una larga carrera en el mundo de la moda y la edición, Duguid se encontró sin trabajo durante un largo periodo. A los 52 años, y tras 16 meses de intentos infructuosos por reincorporarse al mercado laboral, habló públicamente sobre su experiencia. Su relato tuvo gran repercusión entre las mujeres, que se identificaron con sus propias experiencias de discriminación por edad, rechazo y dificultades para reincorporarse al mercado laboral.
Con su apoyo y ánimo, contribuyó a crear Su bis, una comunidad para mujeres que se enfrentan al desempleo, al subempleo y a cambios profesionales en la mediana edad.
Su historia es relevante porque convirtió una experiencia personal en una plataforma colectiva. Detectó la necesidad de conexión, recursos, visibilidad y defensa de los derechos, y ayudó a crear una comunidad en torno a ello.
También existe una relación directa con el debate sobre la inteligencia artificial. Duguid ha expresado su preocupación por que los sistemas de selección de personal automatizados y la selección mediante inteligencia artificial puedan reforzar los prejuicios por motivos de edad. Su ejemplo nos recuerda que la tecnología puede crear nuevas oportunidades, pero también puede reproducir las desigualdades existentes cuando los sistemas no se diseñan o utilizan de forma justa.
«Her Encore» no es simplemente una historia sobre cómo poner en marcha un negocio. Es también una historia sobre cómo identificar un problema social y económico más amplio y dar respuesta al mismo.
Tu reto puede ser la necesidad insatisfecha de otra persona
A menudo buscamos oportunidades fuera de nosotros mismos: una nueva empresa, un sector diferente, un socio comercial, una vacante o un nuevo mercado.
Pero a veces pasamos por alto algo que tenemos mucho más cerca.
Los retos a los que nos enfrentamos pueden poner de manifiesto necesidades que comparten otras personas. Y esas necesidades pueden tener un valor económico y social.
Tomemos como ejemplo a Stacey Duguid. La dificultad que tuvo para reincorporarse al trabajo en la mediana edad no fue simplemente un problema profesional individual. La respuesta a su relato público reveló que muchas otras mujeres estaban pasando por dificultades similares. Lo que comenzó como un reto personal se convirtió en la base de una comunidad, de recursos compartidos y de defensa de sus derechos a través de «Her Encore».
Esto ilustra una forma importante de pensamiento emprendedor: reconocer un problema, comprender quién más lo sufre y plantearse qué se podría crear para dar respuesta a él.
Esa respuesta podría adoptar diferentes formas:
- A product: something that addresses a practical problem.
- A service: expertise or support that helps people overcome a challenge.
- A platform or community: a space that connects people, resources and opportunities.
- Advocacy: an organised effort to change practices, policies or systems.
- A business: a financially sustainable solution to a need that customers are willing to pay to address.
Not every challenge will become a business, and not every valuable response will generate personal income. Community initiatives and advocacy may require partnerships, grants, donations or other funding models. A commercial idea also needs to be tested for demand, delivery costs and financial viability.
But the starting point is worth remembering:
Your lived experience is not only something you bring to a job interview. It may also give you insight into a problem that the market has yet to solve.
Rather than asking only, “Where are the opportunities?”, ask:
“What problem do I understand particularly well, who else experiences it, and what could I create that would make a difference?”
This is where experience, curiosity and entrepreneurial thinking meet.
Experience can become entrepreneurial capital
Fiona Hudson-Kelly offers another perspective.
A technology entrepreneur who had already established and run businesses, Hudson-Kelly decided to launch a third company at the age of 50. The business developed a digital platform that allowed apprenticeship providers and apprentices to complete paperwork online.
What is interesting about her story is how she describes the value of accumulated experience. Having built businesses before, she understood more about establishing a company culture, recruiting people, marketing a product and selling to customers.
She was not starting with the same knowledge or perspective she had at the beginning of her career. She was bringing years of learning into a new venture.
Her experience challenges the assumption that entrepreneurship belongs primarily to the young. It also shows that professional experience can become an important form of entrepreneurial capital.
Starting again with AI and technology
Jana Rose Stewart provides a more direct example of the intersection between midlife experience and emerging technology.
At 53, after a corporate career and years as a professional athlete, Stewart says she began building VelaHR, a digital workplace platform focused on helping employers create menopause-ready workplaces.
She describes learning no-code and AI tools as a beginner, drawing on her own experience and recognising a workplace need that she believed was not being adequately addressed.
Her story is particularly relevant because it brings together three elements: lived experience, an identified market need and a willingness to learn new technology in order to develop a solution.
It is not necessary to have spent a career in technology to begin exploring what technology can make possible. But it does require curiosity, learning and a clear understanding of the problem you want to solve.
These stories should not be mistaken for proof that every new venture will succeed or generate a sustainable income. They demonstrate different routes worth examining, not guaranteed outcomes.
Looking at the bigger commercial picture: Emma Grede
Emma Grede, co-founder of Good American and founding partner of SKIMS, is another compelling example of a woman who recognised a market opportunity and built businesses around it.
Her story is different from those of Duguid, Hudson-Kelly and Stewart. Grede built her entrepreneurial career relatively early, first establishing a talent and brand partnership business before using her experience and relationships to develop consumer brands.
With Good American, she identified an underserved market in fashion: women who were not adequately represented by conventional sizing. She brought together commercial insight, partnerships and a product proposition designed to address that gap.
Grede is not a like-for-like example of a woman over 50 reinventing her career. Nor should her scale of success become the standard against which women on the move measure themselves.
But her entrepreneurial approach offers a useful lesson: look for the customer or market need that others have overlooked, understand the opportunity and build a solution that creates value.
The principle is relevant whether the opportunity is a global consumer brand, a specialist consultancy, a digital service or a new professional role.
Seven ways to create your next income opportunity
There is no single route to earning. A traditional job may be the right choice for one woman; a portfolio of professional activities may suit another. Some may want to establish a business, while others may combine employment with independent work.
The important thing is to recognise that there is more than one route.
1. Raise your hand for an opportunity that does not yet have a job title
Look at companies, organisations and sectors you want to work with. Research their business models, expansion plans, operational challenges and emerging needs.
Then ask: where could my experience make a difference?
Por ejemplo:
- A company expanding into a new market may need someone who understands that market.
- A growing business may need help professionalising its operations.
- A founder may need an experienced person to develop partnerships or open new distribution channels.
- An organisation adopting AI may need someone who understands its customers, processes and people, as well as the technology.
Develop a short proposal explaining the opportunity you see, the problem you could help solve and the value you could contribute.
Your message should communicate more than your availability. It should demonstrate your understanding of the business.
The strategy: approach organisations with an opportunity, not simply an application.
2. Reposition your experience for a different industry
Your experience may be more transferable than you think.
A finance professional may have the skills to work in fintech, business operations, risk, education or financial technology implementation.
A former teacher may bring valuable capabilities to learning design, corporate training, education technology or talent development.
A marketing professional may move into customer experience, brand strategy, partnerships or business development.
Identify three industries where your capabilities could be relevant. Study the language used in their job advertisements, identify the skills they require and establish what you need to learn.
Do not assume that changing industries means starting from zero.
The strategy: move your expertise into a market where it can create new value.
3. Build a portfolio career
A career does not have to depend on one employer.
A portfolio career combines different forms of professional activity. Depending on your experience and circumstances, this might include:
- Part-time or full-time employment.
- Consulting or independent advisory work.
- Teaching, mentoring or professional training.
- Speaking, writing or research.
- Project-based assignments.
- Non-executive or advisory roles, where appropriately qualified.
The combination can evolve. One activity may provide predictable income, while another builds a reputation or develops a new market.
This approach requires careful attention to workload, contracts, taxes, pricing and income volatility. It is not necessarily less work, but it can offer different ways to use your capabilities.
The strategy: diversify the ways your expertise generates income.
4. Turn your expertise into a service or business
You do not necessarily need a completely new business idea.
Start with a problem you understand particularly well.
Could you help small businesses improve their financial processes? Could you offer specialist training? Could you advise organisations navigating a particular market? Could you develop a service for a group whose needs are underserved?
A practical starting point is to define:
- The customer you want to serve.
- The problem they need solved.
- The service or solution you could offer.
- The evidence that customers are willing to pay for it.
- How you will reach those customers.
- What it will cost to deliver the service and what you need to charge.
Test the idea before making substantial financial commitments.
Entrepreneurship is not simply about being your own boss. It is about understanding customers, creating value, managing risk and building a financially viable activity.
The strategy: turn accumulated knowledge into something the market is willing to pay for.
5. Make your expertise visible
Being good at what you do and being recognised for it are not the same thing.
A strong professional profile can help people understand what you know, what you stand for and how you can contribute.
You might:
- Publish a short article about a problem in your industry.
- Share a case study demonstrating how you solved a challenge.
- Speak at a professional event.
- Participate in industry discussions.
- Contribute to a specialist community.
- Create a short presentation or practical guide.
- Develop a focused professional website or portfolio.
You do not need to become an influencer. You need to make your expertise discoverable and credible.
A useful question is: if someone searched for the problem I solve, would they find evidence that I can help?
The strategy: build visibility around your expertise, not just your employment history.
6. Use AI to expand your capabilities
AI is changing the economics of work. It can help individuals research markets, prepare proposals, analyse information, develop content, automate selected tasks and experiment with new services.
For an experienced professional, the opportunity is not necessarily to become an AI engineer. It may be to combine existing expertise with the ability to use AI responsibly.
Por ejemplo:
- A consultant can use AI to support research and prepare an initial analysis.
- A trainer can use AI to develop learning materials and adapt content for different audiences.
- An entrepreneur can use AI tools to test ideas, improve customer communications and streamline selected business processes.
- A professional returning to employment can use AI to research roles, identify skill gaps and prepare for interviews.
But technology should complement human judgement, not replace it.
Learn how to check AI-generated information, protect confidential data, recognise inaccuracies and understand the limitations of the tools you use.
The strategy: become the professional who knows how to combine experience, judgement and technology.
7. Build relationships before you need them
Opportunities often emerge through professional relationships, industry communities, former colleagues, clients, suppliers and people who understand your capabilities.
But networking should not become a series of requests for employment.
Approach it as an exchange of knowledge and value.
Reconnect with former colleagues. Attend events in sectors you want to understand. Ask informed questions. Offer to contribute to a discussion. Share useful research. Introduce people who could benefit from knowing each other.
And when you meet someone doing interesting work, be curious about the business problem they are trying to solve.
Your next opportunity may emerge from a conversation that begins with learning rather than asking.
The strategy: cultivate relationships that create access to information, collaboration and opportunity.
Your AI-era income strategy: think beyond one source
The traditional career model often assumes that income comes from one employer, through one role, along one relatively predictable path.
That model remains relevant for many people, but it is not the only possibility.
Women can explore different combinations of income:
| Income pathway | What it may involve |
|---|---|
| Employment income | Salary, wages, bonuses and benefits |
| Professional income | Consulting, advisory work, freelance and project fees |
| Business income | Revenue generated by a business or enterprise |
| Knowledge-based income | Training, teaching, licensing, publications and intellectual property |
| Investment income | Income from financial or other productive assets, subject to risk |
These categories are not interchangeable. They have different requirements, risks, costs, tax treatment and levels of predictability.
Nor does every woman need to pursue all of them.
The objective is to understand which combination makes sense for your circumstances, capabilities, financial needs and stage of life.
A practical exercise: design your next income opportunity
Rather than beginning with the question, “What job can I get?”, begin with a broader question:
What value can I create, and who might be willing to pay for it?
Take a sheet of paper and work through these five steps.
1. Identify your assets
List your professional experience, technical skills, relationships, industry knowledge, qualifications and transferable capabilities.
2. Identify market needs
Research organisations, customers and sectors where those capabilities could be useful. Look for problems, not just job advertisements.
3. Choose three possible routes
For example: a new employed role, an independent service and a proposal to an organisation whose business you understand.
4. Test one opportunity
Speak to potential customers, decision-makers or people in the industry. Ask questions. Validate demand before investing significant time or money.
5. Set an income action target
Choose a measurable action for the next 30 days: approach five organisations with a relevant proposal, arrange three industry conversations, publish one specialist article or test one paid service.
The aim is to move from reflection to action.
Earning is also a behavioural system
Knowing what you could do is only the beginning. Building income capacity requires consistent action.
It means making time to develop skills, researching opportunities, communicating your value, following up, negotiating and reviewing what is working.
It also means recognising the behavioural barriers that can hold women back: underpricing their expertise, waiting until they feel completely ready, avoiding negotiation, or assuming that a career transition must follow a conventional path.
Confidence matters, but confidence alone is not a strategy.
Create a system that supports action:
- Awareness: recognise your capabilities, beliefs and financial needs.
- Intention: decide what kind of income opportunity you want to pursue.
- Action: take visible, measurable steps.
- Consistency: make opportunity development part of your routine.
- Feedback: assess responses, results and what you are learning.
- Adaptation: adjust your approach as markets, technology and circumstances change.
The bigger picture: earning is the foundation of wealth creation
Earning more is not the same as building wealth. Income must be managed, retained, invested and protected.
But income capacity matters because it influences how much money a woman can allocate towards her immediate needs, financial resilience, investments and longer-term goals.
For women over 40, this is especially important. A longer working life may require a different approach to career planning, income generation and financial preparation.
The AI economy will create opportunities, transform existing roles and introduce new challenges. It will not affect every industry or worker in the same way. And technology alone will not remove the structural barriers women face in employment and business.
We need to address those barriers while equipping women to act with greater economic agency.
It is important to recognise that entrepreneurship is not the answer to every employment challenge. Women should not have to become founders simply because employers fail to recognise their value. Fair recruitment, age-inclusive workplaces and equal access to opportunity remain essential.
At the same time, women can equip themselves to recognise opportunities, make informed choices and create new forms of economic participation.
The next chapter of your working life does not have to be a repetition of the last.
You can reposition your experience. You can learn new capabilities. You can propose opportunities. You can build a business. You can combine different forms of work.
You can become more intentional about how you earn.
Your experience is an asset. Your ability to keep learning is an advantage. And your capacity to create income is something you can continue to develop.
WEMatter reflection
What if you stopped asking whether someone would give you a job and started asking where your experience could create value?
And what if the challenge you have been navigating is pointing you towards a need that you could help address?
EARN. KEEP. GROW. PRESERVE.
Because building wealth begins with building the capacity to earn.
