Ageism in work and employment: thinking about connections
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/00483489710172042 |
| Pages | 233-244 |
| Date | 01 August 1997 |
| Published date | 01 August 1997 |
| Author | Mohamed Branine,Ian Glover |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Ageism in
work and
employment
233
Ageism in work and
employment: thinking about
connections
Mohamed Branine and Ian Glover
University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
Introduction
In this introductory paper we perform three tasks. First, we comment on the
very broad nature and the contemporary salience of ageism in general, and
about ageism in work and employment in particular. Second, we consider the
kinds of connection which might usefully be made between particular aspects
of our chosen subject and relevant academic disciplines, sub-disciplines and
themes and topics of interest. Third, we suggest how two apparently
contrasting notions, commodification and greening, may be useful for thinking
about and exploring the above phenomena and the links between them.
Ageism, and ageism in work and employment
In 1995 Bytheway[1] wrote that “the history of ageism as a political idea … is
only twenty-something years old”. Very few European and Middle Eastern
societies kept records of their populations’ birth dates until recent centuries.
Many people only had rough ideas about their true ages. Elderly people were
probably nothing like as valued and respected in the past as many people have
recently come to think. Although they certainly were venerated in some
societies, they were also very often seen, as now, as liabilities. In most societies
both children and young adults and older and elderly people have been thought
of, respectively, as ascending and descending a hill or staircase, and as lacking
in competence and strength compared with those in between who are occupying
the heights and in the prime of life. Both infanticide and the killing of aged
people have been quite common in poor tribes and societies throughout
history[2]. The achievements, experiences and views of younger and older
people alike tend to be derided less, and valued more, in turbulent times. When
life is relatively placid and stable, youthful energy and mature reflection are less
in demand[3]. However, these are very broad generalizations mainly about the
pre-industrial past.
The reasons why ageism and its effects have recently, in late modernity, or
under late capitalism, or largely in advanced industrial societies, become
components of political and public debate are not fully understood. The rising
levels of unemployment among younger and older people, the increasing
proportions of dependent people to the employed, the rising costs of pensions
and of health care for the elderly are all obvious features of what is happening,
but it is hard to distinguish between cause and effect. Every so often someone Personnel Review, Vol. 26 No. 4,
1997, pp. 233-244. © MCB
University Press, 0048-3486
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