Ageism Effects On Our Society

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.

Mrs Ann Smith is a seventy nine year old woman and she has several problems regarding her health and well-being in her elderly age. Many policies and legislation ensure the safety and well-being of the elderly such as Mrs Smith. Legislation and policies safeguard the elderly including Mrs Smith to receive the fair treatment of care and to stop discrimination and exclusion. Discrimination and exclusion is still prevalent today and within contemporary society the ageing population is rising, discrimination and exclusion could increase if it is not appropriately tackled by contemporary society today. There are numerous theories of ageing, some theories are disengagement theory, and the activity theory and these theories have developed key concepts and the effects of ageing on individuals and contemporary society today.

There are many different types of bias that exist in the work place, community and family, however age bias has long term effects on a large part of the population that stems to finances and mental health. The article written by Ms. Melissa Dittman provides in depth look at how many people are effected by ageism, the repercussions of those experiencing this particular bias and how to help solve and prevent this problem.

Age bias is a common scenario visible all over the world, specifically in the corporate sector, where the older human resources are considered not apt to work and they face day-to-day discrimination by their co-workers. There are different aspects of this topical issue, which we can discuss in detail.

There has always been some “ism” that social movements have fought against throughout America’s history, and the issue of “ageism” was finally addressed in The Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Ageism can be defined as prejudiced beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors pertaining to older adults. To understand the ADEA fully, a brief history of age discrimination is useful to comprehend the Structural Level of this bill. Discrimination based on age was not a large issue until the beginning of the 20th century, mainly because it was a tacit form of discrimination. For the most part, people worked until they were at an age where they did not feel useful, and for the rest of their lives their families would take care of them. Industrialization

Today, ageism appears in many forms, forms that involve discrimination and prejudgment. A few examples to demonstrate how the elderly are prejudged could be said as: When people of an older age forget of names of people, they are viewed as having a failing memory whereas when a person of a younger age forgets someone’s name that person is said to be merely forgetful. Another example could be the difference in hearing, elderly are said to be hard hearing whereas a person of a younger age is said to have “selective hearing”

Ageism is any attitudes, actions, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of their age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age. It typically reflects a prejudice in society against older adults. The concept of aging varies across different cultures as different countries have varying demographic statistics such as Japan and Italy having significant part of their population above the age of 60 versus most countries in Africa who have significant parts of their population below the age of 30. Most research on ageism is done on children, adolescents, or young adults with few studies on actual older adults. Age is increasingly becoming a more positive concept, yet older people are still stereotyped. The three theories in sociology about aging are disengagement, activity, and continuity.

The article was discussing the issues of ageism mainly in the work force. It talks about how the baby boomers are have a hard time getting hired because of their age. In a weak economy, some companies are sometimes all too happy to get rid of veteran employees, with their higher health care costs and legacy pensions, for younger ones who expect neither. The article talked about Margery Leveen Sher, a 68, former corporate consultant and nonprofit executive in the district, kept her age a secret when starting her nonprofit business because of her age. She thought that they would think she would want to retire soon, but that wasn’t

Ageism against the elderly has become a powerful form of social oppression all throughout societies and especially in the workplace. Elders are faced with negative stereotypes, judgments, and multiple forms of abuse all because of their age and appearance. Younger

Age discrimination in employment, also known as job ageism, is a complex issue which impacts on many areas of Government policy and can have many implications for individuals themselves. Age discrimination can occur across the whole spectrum of employment and can affect both younger and older people. It can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, as well as their chances of promotion or development when in work. Age can also be a factor when employers decide who should be selected for termination.

Day to day, people face all sorts of discrimination in the world. One form of discrimination a person may encounter is ageism. Ageism is defined as prejudice against a certain age group. Whether that a young age such as teenagers, or an older age such as senior citizens. Ageism is everywhere. In the media of today’s world and in jobs.

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

“Ageism has been called the ultimate prejudice, the last discrimination, the cruelest rejection,” Stein (unpublished). We as a people have defeated for the most part racism and sexism, but we have allowed the third great “ism” to remain unchallenged. “This widely practiced prejudice has gone on for generations and is known as ageism,” (Palmore, Erdman, Ballagh (1999). By definition, according to Webster’s Dictionary, it is discrimination against person’s of a certain age group. Ageism includes both positive affect and a negative connotation with any given age group. It is predominately seen as a reflection on the elderly. Positive aspects of ageism on the elderly include medical care, discounts and tax

Age discrimination is an issue today, more than ever especially when companies seek to avoid having to pay retirement or medical benefits and do so by firing older employees who might be about to invest in their pension or who might need medical attention. Another reason is that older employees may be paid more than new hires, so companies replace older workers with new workers just for that reason. This type of change is in addition to those who are simply biased against older workers and who take any opportunity to remove older works and bring in new blood

Age discrimination has long been present in society due to the rapid development happening around us. According to Farney, Aday & Breault (2006), this era of ageism is defined as "discrimination against any age group", but it often is pointed to age discrimination among adults which is slowly causing a negative effect for them in the workplace. In the workplace, adults with more experience and longer history behind them are targets of this ageism belief that companies and employers tend to have (Farney, Aday, & Breault, 2006). They are shunned and even fired in favor of accepting new and fresh faces for the company they have worked for. Unknown to most companies and employers, this notion of favoring the young and banishing the old can