Persistent ageist myths revealed


As The Centre for Ageing Better’s “Age Without Limits” anti-ageism campaign enters its second year, it is calling on everybody to notice, challenge and change the country’s negative attitudes towards ageing and older people.

A “worryingly high” proportion of the country believe ageist myths around older workers’ competency and value in the workplace, a new survey from the Age Without Limits campaign reveals.  

The survey shows that ageist assumptions around older workers’ ability to work quickly, to be adaptable, to cope with technology and to be a long-term asset for an employer persist – especially among men, younger generations and individuals with the highest educational qualifications who are most likely to have responsibility to hire and manage people in their 50s and 60s.  

The Age Without Limits survey reveals that:

  • One in four people (24%) think it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 because they will be a slow worker who will not be able to adapt. 
  • More than one in five people (22%) also think it is a waste of resources to give in-job training to someone over 50 because they do not think older workers are likely to stay in their role for long, according to the survey commissioned by the Centre for Ageing Better.
  • One in three members of the public (32%) think that people become less competent using technology as they get older.

Anniversary

The stats have been released to mark the first anniversary of the Age Without Limits campaign, the country’s first national anti-ageism campaign.  

The campaign aims to end the negative treatment of older people based on their age wherever and however it occurs. Ageism can have a detrimental impact on people’s job prospects or healthcare treatment, leads to a relentlessly negative depiction of ageing in advertising and the media, can cause older people to be marginalised from society and can lead everyone to think negatively about their own futures.  

By changing the way we all think and act about ageing, the campaign aims to open up greater opportunity for everyone to age without the limits of ageism. 

The new research reveals pronounced differences in the views of men and women, including:  

            • More than one in four men (27%) think it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 compared to one in five women (21%).

            • Men (26%) are also more likely to agree it is a waste of resources to provide training for staff over 50 than women (18%).

            • More than one in three men (37%) believe that people become less competent with technology as they get older, compared to one in four women (27%).    

The research also showed contrasting views among different age groups and generations, including:

            • It does not make business sense to employ an older worker (48% vs 4%) or give them in-job training (36% vs 3%).  

            • Almost half of 25-34-year-olds (46%) think that people become less competent with technology as they get older compared to one in five (22%) people aged 65 and above.  

And the research shows that individuals with the highest qualifications (Level 4 or above which includes degrees and doctorates) are more likely to hold ageist assumptions about older workers than people with lower educational attainment, including:

            • One in three (31%) people with a Level 4 qualification or above thinks it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 – almost twice the proportion of people with a Level 3 qualification (17%).  

            • More than one in four (29%) people with a Level 4 qualification or above thinks it is a waste of resources to give in-job training to a staff member over 50 – more than twice the proportion of people with a Level 3 qualification (13%).  

            • People with a Level 4 qualification or above are also more likely than people with lower educational qualifications (35%) to think that people become less competent with technology as they get older.

Dr Carole Easton OBE, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: 

“The proportion of people who fail to see the value and benefits of employing people in their 50s and 60s is worryingly high, but sadly also not surprising.  

“Our Age Without Limits campaign has previously highlighted the workplace as one of the most common situations in which people to experience ageism. It is so dispiriting that these attitudes persist when older workers have such potential to tackle skills shortages, help businesses to thrive and grow our national economy.

“It is also concerning that the prevalence of ageist attitudes is higher among people with the highest educational qualifications who are most likely to make decisions around hiring, promoting and developing workers who are in their 50s and 60s. Little wonder that older workers are less likely to receive in-work training, are more likely to be made redundant and experience greater difficulties finding work.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. By noticing and challenging ageism in the workplace, we can change employer attitudes to older workers and help everyone to fulfil their potential in later life.”

Please share:
Tweet
Share
, ,