Ageist Stereotypes Of Older Workers In Canada

Elderly people (women and men age sixty-five or older) (Macionis, 2005), Have many obstacles to face as they grow older, many of these obstacles involve social inequality. Not only do the elderly have to learn to deal with many forms of Ageism (the stereotyping and prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age), some also have to deal with the fact that they do not have enough savings or pension benefits to be self supporting, for most people over sixty-five, the major source of income is social security (Macionis, 2005). This forces many elderly Americans back into the workforce to continue to earn money to support themselves and or spouses. Although many elderly Americans may choose

Many employers view the old employers especially the baby boomers as too rigid, failing health, lack of enthusiasm, afraid of new technologies, do not want to learn new training (stuck in old ways), and expensive to keep. Many aged people are viewing job advertisements with pictures of younger employees. In addition, the aged are facing high cost of medical insurance and healthcare. With the obstacles in the job market, the aged could possibly experience social isolationism, low self-esteem, and financial hardship.

Modern society view’s aging as a form of sickness and the elderly as persons who are closer to dying and death. This is what is often portrayed in our mass and social media. When considering issues of aging sociologists have found that more positive characteristics are often said for persons under sixty five years than for over sixty five years.

Age discrimination in the workforce is a major issue in Today’s society. Although this is hardly ever mentioned, it is a concern that affects the aging population and their work performance. Those who are of old age are often not given a chance and looked down on. They are thought of as being mentally and physically in decline, less adaptable, unwilling to be trained, and costly to the organization. The elderly are considered “slow workers.” They are often forced to work extra hard to prove to their employer, they are capable of working as effective as the young. Defining someone’s work performance according to their age is against the law. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) addresses discrimination against the older population. This Act was passed by congress to ensure people of age 40 and older are given fair judgment in the workforce; however, the maturing population of baby boomers has led to an increasing number of elderly workers. This has cause age discrimination to rise. It is important that we review and analyze age discrimination has a political issues that must be changed. Although ADEA sets out to help the aging population, changes should be made within the employer. In order to seek change, one must first understand ADEA and how it promotes fair treatment for the elderly.

Another reason why age discrimination in the workplace must be stopped is because of the number of employees who kill themselves just because they have lost the job they have worked hard for. In Segrave (2001)'s study, he noted that most men and women begging for jobs or submitting themselves to menial jobs just to be employed have suffered from depression, loneliness and belittlement because of the discrimination they have felt in their former jobs. Their old co-workers would tell them slanderous claims and points that they should no longer work and just retire because they are too old for the job. For those who cannot stand any more comments about their age and the fact they can no longer work, they would often take away their lives to escape being discriminated (Segrave, 2001). According to Todd (1977) there were some who tried to help displaced elderly workers and

The issue associated with work-life conflict has been growing due to the rapid increase of eldercare among majority of Canadian workers. The degree of attention to this issue has been raising and it poses challenges and requires solutions to both employers and human resources professionals. Statistics Canada estimates that by the end of the first quarter of the next century, about 18 per cent of the Canadians will be over 65 years of age. With today’s well-established medical care and advanced technology, elderly are living longer particularly those in the age group 85 plus. Data shows that 1 percent of Canada’s population which estimated to about 140,000 people were the age of 85 and above in 1971 and continued to grow with 380,000 in 1998.

Instead of relying on income from previous occupation, the elderly population, income will fixate, resulting in dependency on their 401k saving plan and other government related programs to assist with activities of daily living. This is why I choose to work with this population, to ensure that dignity, worth, and respect of a person is maintained. However, the aging population should not feel that they are being treated as a burden by the government or their families. In the United States, we undermine our aging population by treating them as though they are not of any value. In reference to this mistreatment towards the aging population can cause issues such as unemployment, health, and elder abuse.

I understand that your perception was that older nurses left the organization rather than adapt to the changes occurring and use of the computer. While this is a very real concern, we must be cautious to not apply this stereotype to all older healthcare workers.

I really enjoyed the lecture on Ageism; it was very interesting and educational. I was surprised with the 20 True or False question on what is your aging I.Q. We do have different concept about elderly or older people, however after watching the lecture I have learned more true understanding about ageism. Ageism is when you judge people based on age. Unfortunately, I was surprised when this can be called as prejudice and stereotypes. I use to receive elderly jokes through email, which was really hilarious but didn’t think as being prejudice or stereotypes.

Discrimination against older workers is one of the forbidden grounds of discrimination in the labour market across Canada. Age discrimination affects an older adult’s career, advancements, opportunities, and privileges in the labour market. Furthermore, older adults tend to be marginalized, institutionalized, and stripped of responsibility, power, and their dignity (Nelson 208). The Canadian population is aging rapidly and that changes in the population age structure have led to considerable discussion of ageism and social policies like mandatory retirement and old age security. Employers continue to have negative attitudes and stigma toward older workers (Klassen and Gillin 36). Social policy like mandatory retirement is the leading form

In conclusion, ageism in today’s times is a real form of discrimination and needs to be fixed. An individual’s skills and capabilities should be based on a personal level, not their age. The elderly and the young need just as much job opportunities as the middle-aged individuals living in the

Age discrimination in employment is a complex issue which impacts many areas of Government policy and has many implications for individuals themselves. Age discrimination can occur across all spectrums of employment and can affect both young and old. Age discrimination can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, and potentially their chances of promotion or development within the workplace. Age can also be a factor when employers are deciding who should be selected during a workforce downsize or redundancy of work due to a mergers and acquisitions.

Aging! We all do it every day, but have you ever thought how it is going to affect the rest of your life or more importantly your career? Aging isn’t something that we get to choose if we participate in, however working is, and aging may affect that choice. Right now, I want you to think about the age of sixty-five. What words pop into your head when you think of someone sixty-five? I’d imagine some of the words you thought of were retired, old, fragile, slow, as well as many others. Those words right there all help to explain the many concerns that one’s employer may have when hiring someone that is of the older population. When we think of the older population in the work force we don’t necessarily think of positive things, instead we think of things. When we think of this population in the workforce we generally think of lower production rates and higher costs. These can create issues among the older population, as employers must consider all the possibilities when hiring someone. We know that more people in the older population are continuing to try to continue their careers, but why? How hard is it for them to continue? What changes have made it easier? How are the younger and middle aged populations perceiving them in the work place? This are only some of the many question surrounding the increase of aged workers.

Imagine being five years away from retiring happily, but all of a sudden, the world gets flipped upside down when out of the blue, human resources calls. Unfortunately this is a reality for millions or older adults every year. Businesses try to save money by not hiring or firing older workers before they can collect their retirement money they deserve. Discrimination against older workers continues to be a problem in Minnesota because for older people looking to retire it’s more difficult and it’s harder to keep and/or get a job because of their age.

Elderly people are often stereotyped as forgetful, weak, or unable to take care of themselves; keeping this in mind, how can you logically hire an elderly person to do a job that a young, more physically fit employee could undoubtedly perform with less risk and effort. Stereotypes such as these are playing a huge role in the controversy over mandatory retirement. Morgan