Should age be a factor in a promotion?

[Drew16]

My wife (26) has been approached twice by her company about taking a significant position in the company. It seems like both times they have just been trying to gauge her interest in the position for the future. She has been witht he company about 3 years and has already been promoted 3 times, currently in a leadership role in Marketing. This is a large company.

Both times the person discussing this has brought up her age and that she may be "too young". My wife really isnt interested in the job right now so I guess its not a huge issue, but it really chaps my ass that older bosses/superiors use the "too young" reasoning.

Im the youngest guy at my job and am far, far ahead of most. I understand, in most cases, you dont want to hire an 18 yr old kid to run a company but someone in their mid 20s with a degree, experience and proven success?

Again, this isnt really an issue since there is no REAL interest in the position right now but my wife seems to think saying someone is "too young" isnt that big of a deal. Am I crazy?