"Getting on a bit"

Jokes about older colleague's incompetence 

"I was queuing to go through airport security at an airport. The security guard did the obligatory routine of asking whether I had any liquids in my bag... I said “no, I do have a water bottle in my bag though, but it is empty”. I continued to say that I didn’t want the security guard who does the screening of the bags 'to get caught out'. The guard laughed and said “oh well, I better tell him that then because he is getting on a bit, he's a bit old”.

I think this is ageism because the security guard was making the assumption that the other guard might be caught out, because he was getting older and therefore, incompetent at his job.

I felt like I had to laugh because the security guard was trying to make a joke, but really inside I felt this guy was making an assumption based on age, and I thought – I wonder whether he would like someone younger making the same joke about him when he is older!

It makes me think how important it is to get rid of ageism and age-based assumptions, and how damaging these can be as we get older."

Can Maintaining a Youthful Appearance Reduce Ageism?

Woman feels that Botox is necessary to remain to be viewed positively by others

“[My experience of ageism involves] constantly being given the cold shoulder, ignored, condescended to and excluded [by younger females in their 30s]. This is not an isolated incident, but on-going. I am still trying to determine whether it is ageism or whether it is just dislike or bullying.

[This makes me feel] sad, upset, excluded, not part of the family, not good enough, not wanted, not approved, annoyed, angry. 

[Consequently] I am not looking forward to ageing and want to do all I can to maintain youthful appearance, through holistic well being (and, maybe Botox down the line). My partner is happy with the way I look and does not want me to do this. But if they didn't know how old I am, (and, I do not look my age and could pass for 10 years younger) .... [perhaps ageism would be reduced].”

Tailor and Alterationist Tells how Customers Confound Age with Experience

“Shunned, talked through, or told that they want the other ladies to serve them”

This is actually an everyday occurrence, it usually happens multiple times in an 8hr day at work. It happens with new people and returning customers that come into the shop that I work in generally with ages 35 years and up. I'm a tailor and I work as an alterationist, people come into the shop and if I'm alone assume I cannot even pin their clothes, so will ask for when the 'older' ladies are in, or if it's something they wanted that day they ask when the 'older' ladies will be back because "why would they leave someone there who can only do the cash?" If I'm not alone (the other people that work in the shop are older than me, I am 25 while they are 45-55), I'm either shunned, talked through, or told that they want the other ladies to serve them. If I decide to mention or if one of my co-workers mention that I have a degree and I've worked at this shop now for 8 years meaning I'm the second senior staff member, and have trained other people how to sew, those people are flabbergasted, and simply can't believe it. Fortunately most succumb to this idea that someone can be young in this field and know what they are doing. However there still is a large portion that can't accept  it, you'd be surprised at how many like to tell me how to do my job still, which includes telling me how to sew on a button.

[This is ageism] because I am judged by my age as to whether or not I can do my job not the fact that I've had school training and years of professional experience.

It makes me angry and it also upsets my co -workers when they see it and my boss hates it and also feels insulted, because people think that a person she trusts with her business is no good. It makes me hate a lot of old people, so I'm going to do everything in my will power to not be like this and to trust that the generations below me were taught like I was.

Commentary on the Working Late Project

by Hayley O’Keeffe @HayleyOKeeffe92

The Working Late project funded by the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) Programme aims to investigate the practice and policy issues associated with working later on in life. The project was initiated in response to the growing number of people required to work for longer due to changes in state pension ages and the abolition of the default retirement age.  It aims to understand how best to promote healthy ageing and quality of working life across the life course.

One of the barriers that older workers face is age discrimination. For part of the project Ricardo Twumasi from Loughborough University, interviewed several managers who didn’t employ older workers, a reconstruction of interesting quotes from these interviews can be viewed here: 

The video highlights some of the issues many older people are facing today within the labour market, either trying to remain or become employed. The employee talks about the recruitment process within the company he works for and gives an insight into his and the company’s attitudes towards older workers. The employee immediately makes clear that he perceives that there is a “required” or “suitable” age, between 25-35 years, for his job and jobs like it, implying that those outside of this age range are deemed ‘unsuitable’. Making assumptions about a persons’ ability to do a job based on their age or the age group they belong to can lead to age discrimination. Age discrimination is any prejudicial treatment or denial of rights based on age.  The employee even acknowledges that these practices are wide-spread, stating that people generally “are just discriminating” when it comes to employment. Throughout the interview, this perception that ‘everyone’s doing it’ is used to justify his age-based assumptions and ageist practices.

Although the employee acknowledges age discrimination is wide-spread, he also realises that to appear ageist is undesirable. For instance, he maintains that he and his company are not ageist. The employee goes on to reveal the many different tactical and strategic ways that the company can avoid having to interview and select older candidates. For instance, he states that the company posts their job advertisements on graduate websites or LinkedIn (a website primarily used by graduates looking for employment). This is indirect ageism because it immediately disadvantages some age groups by making the position inaccessible to those who are not graduates, which disadvantages older workers. 

Stereotypes are a central component of prejudice and discrimination. Stereotypes are widely help assumptions about a person based on the group they belong to. This video sheds some light on common misconceptions of ‘older’ workers beyond 35 years. Firstly, the employee even uses the term “elderly” to describe those above the age of 35. By describing people above 35 in such a way, the employee is assigning stereotypes about the elderly to much younger people. This “elderly” age group is categorised as “unwilling to learn”, this is one of the most common and well-evidenced misconceptions about ‘older’ workers that disadvantage them against younger workers.

In sum, the interviewee in this video is an example of someone who despite claiming “I’m not being ageist” holds stereotypes about certain age groups, which informs his evaluation of people’s ability to do his job.  This video demonstrates how age-based assumptions are made and how they disadvantage older workers. It provides evidence that some jobs and professions have a perceived ‘correct age’. It uncovers covert ageist processes in recruitment which disadvantage older workers and potentially lead to inequality. This video demonstrates that ageism is unfortunately still deemed ‘acceptable’ in society. Despite anti-discriminatory laws, the Working Late project shows that ageism is still occurring both directly and indirectly in the work place. More needs to be done to tackle the issues of ageism in order to provide truly equal opportunities for all.

If you have experienced ageism then tell us all about it!