Ageism
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Ageism is a term referring to discrimination in the workplace that can occur because of an individual’s age. While ageism can affect both younger and older people, older people are disproportionately more affected by ageism, which is sometimes called age bias.
All types of ageism can be subtle and pervasive. As such, employers and workers should learn to recognize the signs and impacts of age-based discrimination.
What Is Ageism?
Age bias or ageism is a type of discrimination that excludes people in the workplace due to their age. This type of discrimination can impact individuals of any age, but most commonly affects those who are considered too old to hold specific jobs or roles within the workplace.
While ageism is not always intentional, both unconscious and deliberate bias against people of any age group qualifies as ageism. However, the ageism definition generally covers biases against individuals who are either above a certain age or are believed to be within that age group.
How Common Is Age Bias?
Age bias and ageism in the workplace are exceptionally common. A 2022 ageism study published in JAMA Network Open found that 93% of U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 80 experienced age discrimination on a daily basis.
The authors measured this using a unique Everyday Ageism Scale, which revealed several examples of ageism present in everyday life:
- Jokes about old age, aging, or older adults
- Content suggesting old age and older adults are unattractive or undesirable
- Assumptions about older adults’ hearing and sight
- Insistence on offering help with tasks older adults are capable of doing themselves
- Assuming older adults cannot do anything important or valuable
Older adults may experience these and other types of ageist thoughts or practices in daily life. Importantly, these beliefs materialize into negative consequences for older adults in the workplace, particularly those who are applying for jobs.
How to Identify Ageism in the Workplace
Age bias usually affects older individuals applying for new jobs or promotions in their current company. Generation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying how to help underemployed or unemployed people learn job skills, conducted a survey in 2021 with 1,400 employers and 3,800 workers in the U.S., U.K., India, Brazil, Spain, Singapore, and Italy. The survey found that hiring managers worldwide prefer to hire younger employees.
In employment, there are two primary types of age biases: institutional ageism and interpersonal ageism. Age bias occurs primarily in five areas:
Institutional ageism
occurs when workplaces perpetuate ageism through policies or actions. Ageism can be either explicit (intentional) or implicit (unintentional), often including prejudice and stereotyping.
Interpersonal ageism
occurs when one individual discriminates against another, usually older, individual. Reasons can vary, but interpersonal ageism usually occurs because the offending person assumes that the older person is unprogressive, unskilled in technology, or slow at keeping up with a job’s day-to-day demands.
Within the workplace, these types of ageism can result in negative consequences for older workers in five areas:
- Recruitment: Using verbiage in promotional materials and advertising that suggests applicants of a certain age are more desirable
- Training: Making assumptions about a trainee’s ambitions or needs based on their age or overlooking older employees for overall development opportunities
- Promotion: Ruling out qualified employees because they are too young or old for a role or extra responsibilities
- Conditions of employment and pay: Having different employment conditions or terms because of a candidate’s perceived age
- Retention: Older workers may be among the first to get let go when a company downsizes.
Many older workers experienced these issues prevalently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of which are still being felt. A March 2024 letter published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found that labor participation rates for those ages 55+ never recovered after the pandemic. Many older workers chose to retire, but many others have experienced difficulty getting rehired for work or have found themselves forced to quit due to a lack of continued support for personal and professional growth.
Why Does Age Bias Occur?
Age bias can occur for a number of different reasons. For example, a hiring manager may assume they can hire younger workers for less money. Older workers often expect higher wages because of their work experience, but that is not always the case. However, hiring managers may assume that older workers will ask for or require a higher salary and reject their application without an interview.
Another reason for age bias is when hiring managers or recruiters assume that an older candidate’s skill set or technology knowledge isn’t as up-to-date as that of younger applicants. People with outdated assumptions and misperceptions about older workers frequently disregard the value of an older worker’s depth of experience and accumulated knowledge.
Example:
A hiring manager reviews job applications and notices that one applicant has a much earlier birthdate than many other applicants. If a birthdate is absent, a hiring manager may use the year the applicant graduated from college or began their work history as a gauge to attempt to guess the person’s age.
Suppose the hiring manager uses this information to dismiss a qualified applicant in favor of a younger applicant with the same credentials and experience. In that case, the hiring manager is complicit in workplace ageism practice.
Is Ageism in the Workplace Legal?
In the United States, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) prohibits ageism against individuals aged 40 and older, and this law is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The ADEA does not provide protection for people under the age of 40, but some states have their own laws in place that prohibit age discrimination against younger workers.
An investigation by AARP found that there are three main areas where illegal age discrimination occurs in the workplace:
Recruitment and hiring Employers favor younger workers and disqualify older workers because of their age. In some cases, employers will deny older workers a job because they are “overqualified.”
Workplace bias Older workers are less likely to be promoted, are overlooked for promotions, and have fewer training opportunities. Moreover, older workers are frequently harassed.
Termination When a company trims its budget or “revitalizes” its workforce, older employees are frequently encouraged to retire or targeted for layoffs.
Example:
AARP reviewed thousands of job listings on the most popular job boards, and the language used frequently targets younger workers and discourages older workers from applying. For example, job postings that encourage “recent college graduates” to apply are showing age bias.
A more subtle job posting may use the phrase “digital native,” which doesn’t show age bias on the surface. However, a close examination of the term “digital native” reveals that this is a phrase used to describe people who have had access to digital technology, such as the internet and computers, for their entire lives. This type of job posting excludes older workers who grew up before personal computers, social media, and the internet were available.
How Does Ageism Impact Victims?
Ageism can negatively impact older adults in multiple ways, some of which are not always immediate or obvious.
Older adults who experience age-related biases in the workplace may suffer financially, mentally, and socially.
Financial impacts of age bias
Financial impacts of age bias
Ageism in the workplace can have distinct impacts on the finances of older adult workers. A 2024 AARP survey found that Americans over the age of 50 have no retirement savings. Additionally, over 50% of adults in that age range worry that they will not have enough to last through their retirement.
While saving for retirement early is essential, many older adults were not able to find jobs throughout their lifetime that allowed them to build the retirement savings they need. Consequently, they’re forced to continue working far longer. Doing so allows them to maximize Social Security benefits, but many older adults will need to work beyond that, as well, due to limitations in how much Social Security will provide.
If they are able to find work, many older adults are forced to accept lower-paying roles or part-time work to make ends meet.
Mental impacts of age bias
Age-related biases can cause severe stress, anxiety, and depression. A decreased self-esteem and sense of worth can follow directly from repeated application rejections and failed promotions.
Within the workplace, constant encounters with intentional and unintentional age biases, such as assumptions about technical capabilities, can cause many older adults to doubt their worth. It’s common for adults to experience feelings of isolation, alienation, and shame, particularly with repeated exposure to ageism.
Social impacts of age bias
Older adults may be excluded from various workplace communities and events based on biased opinions about their capabilities and preferences. Older adults may also be excluded from professional development opportunities, which can further complicate their ability to get noticed and promoted.
How Do You Prove Age Bias Occurred?
Unfortunately, workplace ageism is incredibly difficult to prove. Those who believe they have been a victim of ageism can file a complaint with the EEOC or contact a lawyer, but there will still be an uphill battle.
The evidence required to prove direct harm from ageism includes:
- Evidence that you are within a legally protected class
- Evidence that your job performance was satisfactory
- Evidence that the actions the employer took against you had an adverse impact
- Evidence that younger, similarly situated employees were treated more favorably
Even with such evidence, employers can still provide legitimate and nondiscriminatory reasons for their actions. If that occurs, individuals who feel they have been discriminated against will need to further prove that the employer is being dishonest about its reasons.
This uphill battle should not discourage you if you feel you have been a victim of ageism. However, you will likely want to contact a lawyer who can help you understand whether you have a strong enough case to take legal action.
How to Prevent Ageism as an Employer
Employers should be vigilant about removing ageism within their company, both in the hiring process and in day-to-day workplace engagements.
1. Review job descriptions and hiring practices:
Avoid using language that signals a bias for younger workers, such as “digital native,” “high energy,” or “recent graduate.” Instead, focus on skills, competencies, and relevant experience. Ensure that hiring managers are trained to assess candidates on qualifications alone without making assumptions about age.
2. Implement age diversity training:
Provide HR teams, hiring managers, and employees with training that helps them identify and avoid unconscious biases toward older adults. You may want to incorporate age as part of your regular DEI training or practices.
3. Evaluate internal promotion and development policies:
Do a thorough review of the criteria your company uses to promote employees internally, and what criteria is used to determine which employees receive professional development. These should all be based on performance, not assumptions about age or career stage.
4. Monitor layoffs and restructuring practices:
If layoffs or restructuring are needed, monitor what criteria are used to determine which individuals are impacted. Use clear and well-documented practices and perform audits to identify any trends that may indicate biases against older adults.
5. Create age-inclusive policies:
Review and update your workplace policies in a way that accommodates individuals of all ages. This can include flexible working arrangements, wellness programs, and phased retirement plans.
Related Terms
Age Discrimination
Affinity Bias
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three types of ageism?
Ageism is present in three common ways: internalization (negative thoughts about one’s age), interpersonal (negative experiences resulting from others' age-related biases), and institutional (governmental or organizational mistreatment based on age). Each of these types of ageism can impact an individual inside and outside of the workplace.
Why is ageism a problem?
Ageism creates multiple problems for older individuals and those around them, including, but not limited to, depression, financial struggle, and alienation. Those who suffer from ageist beliefs also struggle to maintain close relationships at work and face difficulties finding or retaining employment.
How common is age discrimination in the workplace?
Age discrimination in the workplace is unfortunately very common. A 2022 AARP survey found that two-thirds of workers aged 50 and older experience age-related discrimination. For many, this commonly appears in the hiring process after being asked to provide their birth date or graduation date.
Is age discrimination illegal?
Age discrimination is illegal in the US, but only for those who are 40 years of age or older. Employers can be held accountable for taking adverse actions against individuals within that age range, but not for those aged 39 or younger.
How do you prove ageism in the workplace?
The best way to prove ageism in the workplace is to document examples of it occurring. Documentation can include emails, written statements, videos, audio recordings, or other types of more concrete evidence.