The economy is based on the contribution of the working class in the United States, and is vital for the prosperity of our nation; however, what becomes the contribution once one no longer fits into the working class? Those that reach retirement age are often seen as spent, incapable, and lower on the scale of hierarchy in society. This social dilemma needs to be fully examined in order for a solution to be drafted, and diving deeper into the sociological perspectives such as the functionalist perspective can aid in the discovery of why this remains an issue today. The main components of age discrimination towards elderly citizens in the workforce can be linked to the ageism found in society, the increased age of individuals in the workforce, …show more content…
It is important to understand the role that those in retirement play in our society and in our workforce in order to create an environment where the economy thrives as a whole, while respecting an individual 's dignity and character. This respect is a mountain to climb as many barriers surround the issue such as ageism and age discrimination. Our society devalues old age in many ways, and this is particularly true in the United States, where individualism, self-reliance, and independence are highly valued. (Lisa Peñaloza. 2012) Ageism involves stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. The term, coined by Robert Neil Butler in 1969, is a common form of discrimination in the United States and other societies that includes negative views and stereotypes about the elderly. This type of discrimination can have a significant negative impact on the care and well-being of elderly people. (Boundless 2016) With the growing amount in the baby boomers generation and the greying workforce, it is becoming a more alarming social issue when trying to determine spots in society. Ageing has a direct impact on the labour market, since improvements in life expectancy affect individual behavior in deciding to remain in work longer. (Anon. 2009.) The underlying problem of ageism is the reality of the amount of those remaining in the workforce longer than expected, yet not performing to the desired standards due to old age. The numerical relationship between those who are in a position to be economically productive (14 to 64 years old) and those who are dependent (aged 65 and over) clearly shows the impact of the age structure in a society. (Anon. 2009.) Generally speaking it is safe to say that senior citizens who choose to remain in the labour market and to postpone their
This is a chilling indictment and warrants an honest answer. In addition, many residents remember their pass occupations in the same fields where they were now recipients of the service to which they complain. Diamond notes that common frailty has now come to mean the life of a pauper (p 151). It seems that senior’s long working life is a consequence, instead of a benefit.
A new criterion for the ideal person must be made to not include things such as sex, but to judge a person based on his or her capabilities in doing what he or she does. The question remains on the support for equal treatment based on age, which is a very controversial debate, as factors such as higher wage from experience, or even having the contemporary knowledge for a certain job. One thing is for sure though, on a common view that as people reach old age, they become physically weaker, which may cause employers to not want to hire seniors that needs money to get by, which goes to show how there are many seniors out on the streets searching through public garbage cans for recycles in exchange for a meager income - with an out of portion amount of seniors of colour in such a circumstances goes to show an obvious language barrier still prominent throughout society. What amounts to a “fair” and “equal” treatment of the
Elderly folks are eminently mature and have the finest instinct about what is right and wrong though It’s challenging to change someone’s point of view in a matter like this. When such injustice takes place, it de-motivates senior workers from their work. In an article over Ageists by Vincent J Roscigno, he states facts about different views on older Americans in general and in workplaces such as, “most of the population consists of biases and preconceptions, and the accused are unashamed in their views of older Americans. Those who believe that younger employees have much more value than senior employees are inserting a strong assumption based on their age. “Ageist attitudes and discrimination is what results in lower levels of overall organizational commitment to older workers, and a “push” out of a particular workplace.” Just because of an older employee’s depiction, such unfairness circulates in workplaces which cause false impressions of older
As the decades have passed, the life expectancy has increased rapidly. This means people are living longer lives and becoming much older than the average life expectancy. Along with living a longer life, ageism may start to appear in older adult’s everyday routines. Ageism can be seen in many places, for instance,: the grocery store, on billboards, in doctor’s offices, on commercials, etc. This seems to be a growing complication and may even hurt the feelings of some people reaching retirement age. Although some advertisements may not seem like they are trying to show any kind of bias, but in some cases they are.
There are profound effects of ageism that can be harmful to a patient’s overall health. Ageism can cause physicians to consistently treat older patients unequally compared to younger adults. Unequal treatment can be divided into the under-treatment of symptoms and the over-treatment of symptoms. The imbalance in how a physician would treat a geriatric patient is ageist because the older adult is not getting fair treatment in every case. Under-treatment and over-treatment are different; however, they are both equally as harmful to a patients health.
221). Conflict theorists focus on the issues that divide the young from the old such as ageism. Society does not embrace the elderly population, which results in a constant battle against stereotypes, ageism and fighting to maintain equal standing in the workplace (Dittman, 2003). In an occupation, elderly workers are seen as washed up and worthless. Competition amongst workers can therefore lead to ageism and the dismissal of the elderly (Carl, 2011, p. 222). Conflict theorists focus on the economical side of aging and therefore focus on profit. In a capitalist society, the elderly are seen as incompetent and less productive; because productivity is tied to profit, these people are consequently removed from their positions. This causes segregation amongst society’s age
(Bendick, Brown & Wall, 1999). A new awareness of older workers has emerged as retiring
The subsequent paragraphs contain a general analysis as well as a description of the legal questions and principles that were raised in the age discrimination case of Mckinney v. University of Guelph. This case raised the issue of whether a company or organization (in this case, a post secondary institution for education) should have jurisdiction over the age at which an individual must retire. Additionally, this document contains an analysis of the laws of mandatory retirement and how they are still currently in effect in countries such as China. Along with the aforementioned is a description of how mandatory retirement is imperative to population management,
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 is an act that was passed that clearly states that employers can’t be discriminate against someone based on their age 40 and older. The older adults are trying so hard to hold onto their jobs with dear life, because if not they will be nudged out and pushed aside. Not because of anything but rather because of their age. Age discrimination is on the rise as young as 50 years old. Age discrimination can happen to anyone regardless of your race, ethnic backgrounds or sexual orientation. A study was published in the Journal of Age Ageing and in the report it said that British People 50 years old and older faces discrimination about one third of them. In a resent survey older adults says job insecurity
This strategy aims to employ workers from different backgrounds to provide tangible and intangible benefits for the business. The employers are the ones who control everything from the wage, promotions, incentives and the termination of the older counterparts. They are increasingly concerned about updated skills, physical demands, early retirement, and the cost of maintaining an older worker. Despite how employers may feel, companies cannot afford to neglect talent at any age. The employer should take advantage of the skills that the older employee posses, and carefully position them in jobs that matches their skill level as well as the job to be done. “Regardless of the change organizations make in the structure and functioning of the workplace of the future, it appears likely that older workers will play a crucial role (Hedge,Borman,& Lammlein, 2006). Different acts and laws are governed to respond to any discrimination against older employees in the workforce. Employment agencies, labor unions, local, state and Federal government are bound by these laws such as: Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (OWBPA); The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Older Americans Act (OAA), to name a few. Funds for service by the Congress are provided in forms of grants for various programs yearly. States, counties, and cities recognize the value of the servicing and are generous in providing additional funds, benefits and in-kind economic benefits too. Because area and state agencies on aging are doing very little in a way to use mass media to promote themselves, the aging network is probably missing a large number of disadvantage people who should be receiving services but who are unaware of them. Much more emphasis has been placed on tying together the federal services for the older workers, but it should not have taken a federal initiative to make states see
However, only 2,181 cases could be legally verified. These verified cases found that workers most likely to face ageism within the workplace were from skilled and semi-skilled industries, such a manufacturing and construction; higher status workers; and those approaching 50 years of age. The experiences and challenges of these workers were expulsion, exclusion, lack of promotion, demotion and harassment (Roscigno, Mong, Byron, & Tester, 2007). The statistical and empirical research in Australia and the rest of the world shows similar data; the older workers are discriminated against, resulting in the younger workers obtaining employment. Older workers are considered as inferior, memory impaired and less alert (Gringart, Helmes, & Speelman, 2005, p. 96).
Age discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) less favorably because of his or her age . Many employers believe that older workers do not have energy to work as hard as other younger workers. That is not necessarily true, older people might be better at their job because they technically are more experienced. Society assumes that the elderly have greatly reduced physical or mental capacities, but the fact is that “only 5.4% of older adults are placed in nursing homes due to either physical or emotional reasons”. That leaves the other 94.6% that are choosing to live in a home with their family or independently.
In many cases job discrimination towards the elderly community is one of the major and most common ...
We are all victims of aging. We can witness our inevitable fates in the elderly with their wrinkled, loose skin and gray hair. You can try and mask the effects of aging, but you can never escape from it. From the moment we are born the natural process of aging begins. Its effects can be seen on our face and body as we grow from a child to an adult. Soon after our bodies have matured into young adults, the degenerative properties of aging begin to negatively impact the body. Aging goes deep beneath the superficial changes like of a balding head, wrinkled skin, or a grey head of hair. These inconspicuous changes occur inside the body affecting cells and organs such as the brain, heart, or lungs. In addition to the deterioration of health of the brain and heart; bones can become weaker and shorter and our vision and hearing impaired or even lost. There are genetic factors and environmental conditions that may contribute to the cause and effects of aging. With age, there is also an increase susceptibility to diseases, cellular damage, genetic mutations, and cancers. Although there have been many advances in medicine and technologies which have allowed us to live longer lives, aging is still an unavoidable natural process.
The liberals unlike conservatives think that the government should assist the elderly because many older people never had the opportunities to earn the money needed to carry them through old age. They also state that many families now need both spouses’ earnings to achieve their own needs. And lastly the radical-left view states that due to the capitalist U.S economy the elderly are viewed as a costly burden to society (Macionis). To help explain this social problem even more we can use the social-conflict theory: aging and economic inequality. This theory focuses on age stratification and points to ways that the U.S. society limits the opportunities and resources available to elders. Even though there are laws that ban age discrimination in the workplace company still prefer to hire younger workers as well as wanting older people to retire so they can be replaced with the younger crowd. In conclusion, company while in pursuit of profit treat older people as second-class citizens (Macionis). Given these points, there are many solutions offered up. With the conservative view point they believe that a culture of self-reliance will motivate people to provide for their own old