Comments on: Ageism and the Workplace: How Bad Is it?

By: brittany

brittany — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:41:48 +0000

i think that this artical is very helpful with the idea of ageism which i do believe plays a big part in the job market today.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:59:50 +0000

We can’t win. I’m 50, supported myself steadily for close to 30 years, and now suddenly am deemed unemployable due to my age. As if I’ve never worked a day in my life or something. As if I’ve become indecent for remaining alive this long.
Have you noticed the ads capping the minimum years experience required? The standard is 3-5 years. Isn’t that a subtle way of stating no one over 25 need apply?
Our willingness to take a cut in salary is even more of an embarrassment to employers who would rather dole out higher salaries to younger workers anyway.
I’ll probably become a bag lady once my unemployment runs out. After a year of searching, I can’t even get a job paying minimum wage. There is no longer any place for me. I’ve become useless and obsolete in the workforce. Like a dinosaur on the verge of extinction because I am too young to collect social security and too old to get hired.

By: DwayneB

DwayneB — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:29:42 +0000

Ageism is essential to the success of American corporations today. Try getting a job in engineering if you are over 45, you’ll see.

There are two main reasons for this.

Culture: Generation Y’s disdain for Boomers makes it extremely difficult for the two to coexist in the workplace. Therefore companies are actively excluding Boomer’s from consideration for many jobs, in order to prevent corporate cultural collapse.

Health care costs: The lower the average age of the workforce, the cheaper the insurance coverage. Don’t kid yourself.

By: annachestnut

annachestnut — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:48:11 +0000

I am very computer comfortable. I have been working with computers for nearly 30 years and have “grown” with them. I am now into CMS websites and have no trouble building on an already strong skill set. Although I can “keep” a job, I cannot get a better job no matter how hard I try. Maybe because I am 56…..

By: Terry

Terry — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:58:22 +0000

Dear Wendy,

Your comment about “old-fogey language” is ageist and offensive. It’s particularly inappropriate in this context!

By: Terry

Terry — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:46:20 +0000

Ageism is a very real problem, but the example of an 8:00 AM meeting excluding older professional women is silly. Most professional employees are required to be available from 8-5 or 8-6; it’s not professional to expect other employees to handle customers or reschedule meetings because of the personal choice to bear children. A professional woman or man would make appropriate arrangements for her or his children that allow her or him to be at work during core hours.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:15:27 +0000

Whipper snapper?

What job are you looking for … a wheelwright, forging hoops for buggies?

Do not insult the intelligence of the rest of us with your “old fogey” language. It is neither cute nor appropriate.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:06:15 +0000

I remember reading a piece in 2008, about this being a terrible time for insurance carriers to dis-allow cosmetic surgery for older women who are looking for work. The emphasis is on “older women.”

You are correct in your assumptions. Just do not give up.

In times of high unemployment, ageism, like poverty, becomes a “woman’s problem.” The pendulum will swing again.

Volunteer, if you have to, to keep your skills current. I know this sounds trite, but you may not have a choice. Face your options with courage, and you will have a better future.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:56:05 +0000

Sorry. That is like telling someone who is about to lose their home to foreclosure, to “lighten-up and not be so hard on those pesky banks.” It does not work that way.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:49:02 +0000

What a wonderful contribution to this discussion. Your comments are both thoughtful, researched, and thought-provoking. You obviously have done research on the subject of workplace ageism.

I sure would like to hear from the “blue collar” side of the house on this subject. Especially since the unemployment offices in many States are pushing “retraining” programs in the trades. Those of us who are considering career switches, including trades and “semi-skilled”, or “para”, positions, need to know what we will be facing.