Ageism in later life

OLDER PEOPLE’S LIVES SCARRED BY WORKPLACE AGEISM AS LARGE POOL OF SKILLED WORKERS GOES TO WASTE
Ageism has consequences far beyond the workplace – for 78% of older people who have been victims of ageism, the experience of ageist discrimination has stayed with them and continues to scar their lives. Indeed, an astonishing 71% admit that ageism has affected their mental well-being, and almost one in three believe it has affected their marriage. Moreover, the impact isn’t limited to senior workers as ageism is now undermining workers as young as 35.

The MaturityWorks research uncovered a bleak picture. 65% of victims of ageism are not confident of getting another job, 83% believe they have been denied employment on the grounds of age, and 71% admit to being anxious about the future. Within organisations, older workers see themselves as targets for redundancy, feeling frustrated and resentful that their valuable skills are going to waste when they still have much to contribute to an employer.

MaturityWorks, the web recruitment service for older people, interviewed 150 people in April 2003 to investigate the social impact of workplace ageism. The objective was to give a voice to the actual victims of ageism. The average age of respondents was 53 (ages ranged from 34 to 67), 56% were male and 44% were female.

Here at laterlife we all know that mature workers have a lot to offer employers – more reliability, lower employee turnover, better qualifications, a greater work ethic and a wealth of practical experience.

For that reason, we’ve teamed up with recruitment specialists Maturity Works to give you the chance to put your skills to good use, whether you are looking for the next step in your career, or part time work in retirement

Click here for details of how to submit your CV to Maturity Works

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Toni Townsend, one of the founders of Maturity Works, explains:

“Workplace ageism is now accepted as a major problem. The repercussions on society, however, have been ignored as the victims are rarely given a voice. Ageism is creating a society where your ‘golden years’ are becoming years of frustration, depression, anxiety and resentment. A community of mature workers is being created who are scarred by an experience which stays with them forever. It seems extraordinary that a large pool of available talent – people who believe they can contribute valuable skills to a workplace – is going to waste.

“When you consider how many voters are aged between 45 and 70 – ageism affects a very broad age range – it is confusing why society is not more concerned about this pressing problem.”

Comments from respondents:

MaturityWorks asked respondents to give their thoughts on the biggest impact of ageism on society. Comments included:


“By paying no regard to an older person’s abilities society simply casts off people like me as being untrainable, inflexible, weak and senile. Whereas the exact reverse is true – younger people don’t have the practical experience!”

Roger Jackson, 55

“With the downgrading of pensions and requirement to work longer, the over 50s are being omitted from the marketplace. Recent temporary positions I’ve held indicate that currently people would rather monitor and report rather than do the job.”

Andy Gascoine, 55

“Mature people desire to be self-reliant rather than unemployed, idle or given a redundant job because of age discrimination. As the saying goes, ‘Age doesn’t matter’ as long as one is capable and can still be productive. Mature people are more likely to be reliable, trustworthy and remain loyal to their employer.”

Remy Tanner, 54

“It is denying itself of a generation of very experienced, skilled workers who have a wealth of life and work skills to offer the workplace. They can give inspiration to the younger generation. Some of the trade skills are no longer taught or given in apprenticeships, but can be learnt and transferred from the older generation.”

Ron Webb, 61

“The fact that companies are rejecting people at the age of 50 or even younger for people with very little experience is very concerning. The problem is trying to secure a new job equal to your previous post. In many case I have experienced my job application going well until the age question arises. Not feeling wanted when you are still very capable of any job is the worst part of being older.”

Allan Jackson, 50

The Government Age Positive campaign

The Government Age Positive campaign is trying to combat Ageism in the workplace. To find out about the campaign and about becoming an Age Positive Champion see our article on the topic. 

Government 50 plus resources

There are a number of useful Government sources of job and pensions information for the 50 plus age group - take a look at our UK Government 50 plus resources page

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