Ageism in the Workplace

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

The Graduate School of Business at Stanford published a study that concluded those more likely to oppose racism and sexism are more likely to maintain ageism as acceptable because they believe that older people block their way to advancement. The study concludes, “equality for all may only mean equality for some.”

I decided to ask Boomers about what their experience was with ageism. I offer three choices:

It’s a common occurrence,

It happens from time to time, and

It never happens.

I thought most of the respondents which is the middle option so I was surprised to discover that 75% of respondents said it was a common occurrence.

In the category that I thought there would be the heaviest choice (it happens from time to time), 22% of individuals said that was their experience.

In other words, 97% of Boomers were experiencing ageism.

Thus, they are not experiencing an equal playing field in the workplace.

An American Psychological Association study indicates that modern demands for labor that may emphasize “youthful agility over mature experience and wisdom.”