Ageism: Oppression Against Youth

The first article, “Police Make Life Hell for Youth of Color” discusses the stop and frisky policy in New York. Innocuous activities such as grocery shopping, visiting a friend or walking home from work or school are suspicious activities if performed by the African- American or Latino communities. The stop and frisk policy is a systematic weapon that policemen utilize against ethnic people-even children.

On Tuesday, we discussed how ageism is impacting the workforces for many minorities who are trying to acquire a job. The conclusion based on the discussion was that workforces see minorities as novices and don’t trust them when it comes to making decisions. Two of the classmates even mentioned how they are assigned simple tasks at their workforce because their employer feels that they have less experience than other employees. My approach to this discussion is different since I started working in the sales retail field at the age of 16. Most employers I have worked with feel that older people are becoming slow and less attractive to consumers. Consumers rather see a young and intelligent employee assisting them over an older employee. This

ll he said was that he is open to let people know he’s in it in case someone needs more information. Upon studying his answers to the psychological side of his life we discussed his involvement in a 12 step program. We came to an agreement that this program was a great resource that he has taken advantage of to improve his life for the better. We proceeded to ask him if he ever felt discriminated because of his age. The look on his face changed to sad. He said he was never discriminated personally to his face but he felt like some of his students wish he would retire. He continued to add that he has read on online sites students saying negative things about him. After reviewing his response to ageism we came to an agreement that the best way

A current issue affecting Australians and Australian businesses is Ageism in the workforce. Although this issue has been around for decades, it has become more prevalent than ever. Many employers aren’t considering hiring younger workers due to minimal experience, but they are also not hiring the elderly for age related reasons. With the retiring age rising, it has become difficult for older people looking for work to find jobs. The elderly struggle to find work due to age discrimination, yet are required to work till retirement age. This issues study focuses on age discrimination in the Australian workforce and how it affects Australian businesses as well as the economy due to imbalanced age groups employed in workplaces.

Like sexism and racism, ageism is discrimination, a deep and profound prejudice against the elderly. Elderly individuals constantly face negligence because of Ageism. In this society of isms, racism, sexism, and ageism; these things create labels, stereotypes, and categorizes people, by shape, size, color, and age. The elderly in their later years should be able to have a peaceable life and be treated with dignity and respect. However, pretty much anyone over the age of 50 is a target for an attack of an attitude of ageism at some point. The Greek, the Native indigenous group and Koreans are few of the cultures that adore, admires and respects the elderly in their community. As baby boomers are growing old and ageing out of the workforce,

People are denied their sense of agency on many levels in regards to decision-making, freedom, and independence. The youth, as well as the elderly are either seen as incompetent because lack of knowledge or expertise. Youth especially minors are given less acknowledgment due to being such a young age, especially when it comes to medical practices. Youth are discriminated by older people, usually those who are established. For instance, youth and crime, all youth that have had a criminal record are labeled as being bad, and a lot are stereotyped into this system because they have the same attributes as others who have caused crime. The elderly gets discriminated by because they are not as able, physically and mentally, and professionals and younger people talk down to them because they think/ know that they no longer don’t know what may be the best situation for them. The elderly people get taken advantage of sometimes because of this because they are so unknowing of the continuous changes around them.

Ageism is described by "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, a webpage about senior living, as “a prejudice against older people” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). Provided by the same source, it is explained that “according [to] the World Health Organization, ageism is most rampant in high-income countries, like the United States” ("Ageism in America is Hurting Us All). According to "Ageism in America is Hurting Us All, they found, in a study, that 70% of older Americans concur they had been insulted or mistreated, because of their age. Furthermore, American Society on Ageing, a website giving knowledge about older adults, reported “the term ‘ageism’ was coined in 1969 by Robert N. Butler, M.D., [at the time was a 42-year-old psychiatrist]”

In today’s economy and workforce, ageism is a factor that we see appear way too often. Ageism reverses it’s roles (discrimination for being too old and discrimination for being too young) and changes its job essentials when need be. The effects of Ageism do not “discriminate”. This particular discussion has an experienced meaning to me since I have encountered ageism in previous employment. However, before sharing my experience I would like to express my position on the posted statement. “Older workers take employment from the young”. I spoke with a few friends on this issue and their responses seemed bias for the fact that we are all young (19-21), yet each of us obtain jobs that Older adults normally obtain. My friends and I discovered that

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.

I am a twenty-four year old born in the generation of technology. Due to my age, I am privileged and I do not experience ageism. According to Jun (2010), “ageism is more than discrimination against children, or the elderly. It is systematic advantages for dominant groups on the basics of chronological age” (p. 224). Therefore, the government creates laws, policies, and rules in the favor of the dominant group.

The term "ageism" was coined in 1969 by Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging. He used the word to describe the process of systematic stereotyping of people because they are old. Ageism is a term that is similar to other ‘isms ' in society, such as racism and sexism. "Ageism allows other generations to see older people as different from themselves; thus they subtly cease to identify with their elders as human beings" (Butler, 1975). All people, including the young as well as the old, can be discriminated against based on age. Today ageism is more broadly defined as any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor of an age group (Palmore, 1990).

Ageism is surprisingly common in Australia, particularly within the workforce. The definition of ageism in working life according to Furunes and Mykletun (2009), is the “stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination against ageing workers, based on chronological age or age categories such as older worker or senior”. This phenomenon has seen older workers increasingly subjected to biases and discriminatory practices when seeking and maintaining employment. Hence, the importance for organisations to understand current and trending issues on age discrimination, in order to draft and implement, effective, and relevant policies. The purpose of this report is to provide an in-depth analysis on ageism as a diversity issue in the workplace and to recommend organisational policies that recognise older workers as a strategic advantage. This analysis will focus on literature relevant to the recruitment and development of older workers. To begin with, this report will consider the context of ageism in Australia providing a deeper understanding of the diversity issue. Furthermore, an extensive discussion on the positive and negative age stereotypes of older workers will follow. The report will then review literature regarding organisational practices towards recruitment and development from an age related perspective. Finally, recommendations will ensue, providing organisational best practise suggestions to create age positive recruitment and training experiences.

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

Teenagers are taken advantage by their bosses. Schlosser wrote in his book” teenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control.”(pg 30 THROUGHPUT). This quote explains that they are treated horribly and are being used by the owners. They work long hours and put a lot of dedication to their job. Their superiors don’t see that they are human, they think of them as “pets” because they are easy to control because they get scared if they do the wrong thing or not think that they are putting in the effort. Furthermore, “as the number of baby boom teenagers declined, the fast food chains began to hire other marginalized workers: recent immigrants, the elderly, and the handicapped”. (pg 30 THROUGHPUT). This demonstrates that the fast food industries are willing to hire the sick, the old, and the handicapped. These people aren’t physically cut out for this job and the owners just want the job done. That’s all they care

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