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Well, recently there seems to have been a flurry of articles in the national press proclaiming the merits of older people - ‘the narrowing gap of generational differences’, ‘wasting the over 50’s’ – and these have been quickly followed up with LinkedIn posts outraged at the injustices of ageism in the workplace. All this, of course in in sharp contrast to earlier articles implying that more over fifties would be in work if they would just get off the golf course.
Anecdotes abound. Sides are taken. It’s not me, it’s you. But what are peer reviewed studies telling us about the existence of ageism in the workplace and its effects on people’s ability or willingness to continue working? Two newly published studies are worth a look to reflect on some of the ways in which ageism manifests itself in the workplace and the impact it can have.
Researchers in New Zealand and Hong Kong carried out a systematic review of ageism directed at older nurses in their workplace. This study, published in March 2024, screened 1833 studies to systematically review 19 studies meeting the criteria for review.
A study published by researchers in Greece in April 2024 reported on ‘Self-Ageism Among Women In Greece: The Role Of Burnout In Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy’.
Both studies collated evidence for the existence of ageism in the workplace, and both reported on the impact of that on critical work-related decisions. Neither reached conclusions pertaining to disposition to roam around golf courses.
Both studies considered the definition of ageism – Chen et al.’s systematic review relating to older nurses recognised a nuanced definition of ageism as, ‘the negative or positive stereotypes, prejudice and/or discrimination directed at older individuals based on their chronological age or perception as ‘old’. Further, ageism can manifest itself implicitly or explicitly at micro, meso, or macro levels.’
Panagopoulou et al.’s study among women in Greece also noted that age stereotypes are internalized, contributing ‘to ageism both in terms of self-ageism and other oriented ageism’ - we begin to accept what we hear about ourselves.
Chen et al.’s systematic review drew upon research in the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealan, and China. There were some striking commonalities in reports of how ageism impacts older nurses’ continuation in practice:
‘Perceived level of ageism is related to participants’ intent to quit’ – Balko (2013) USA.
‘In companies with lower Organisational Age Climate, older nurses were found to have increased turnover intentions…’ – Bilinska et al (2016) Germany.
‘Feeling unappreciated at their workplaces, administrators allocate heavier workload to older nurses because they wish to retain younger workers’ – Gabrielle et al. (2008) Australia.
The list goes on. The average age of nurses across many countries is increasing. The correlations between ageism, intention to quit and being forced out to make way for younger colleagues are likely to be unhelpful in meeting societal demands for capable nurses and other capable workers.
Panagopoulou et al.’s study of Greek women offers a perspective of ageism that is gendered, and in which women internalize gender stereotypes that can lead to, ‘an increase in dysfunctional thoughts, reduced self-esteem and self-efficacy, high anxiety…procrastination, indecisiveness and reduced assertiveness.’ Many women exclude themselves from education opportunities and paid work because of internalized ageism.
Papagopoulou’s study notes that the academic literature identifies age discrimination as a stressor leading to adverse consequences – we see that in Chen, and Papagopoulou’s findings; burnout, poor decision making, intentions to quit and remain outside of the workforce.
If older workers are going to want to continue working, it seems clear that things need to change in the workplace. Papagopoulou et al. place emphasis on the creation of a psycho-educational programme that trains women to strengthen their personal coping and pro-active planning skills. Chen et al. identify maintaining a positive perspective on ageing, fostering positive relationships, and creating a workplace environment that values all age groups.
These two new studies shed further light on ageism in the workplace and its impact on older people’s willingness to work. If older people are disappearing from the workplace when they’re needed, the nuances of these studies should be relevant in the formulation of policies and interventions to combat ageism and relieve worker shortages.
REFERENCES
Chen, C., Shannon, K., Napier, S., Neville, S. and Montayre, J. (2024) Ageism directed at older nurses in their workplace: A systematic review. Journal of clinical nursing, 00, p.p.1-24.
Panagopoulou, M., Panaretos, D., & Sahinidis, A. G. (2024). Self-ageism among women in Greece: The role of burnout in career decision-making self-efficacy. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 8(2), p.p.8–18.
