In theory, the Employment Equality Act protects older workers from age discrimination. However, research reveals that ageism is alive and well in the workplace, not only in Ireland but around the globe

‘Lookism’
Ageism comes in all guises but, in some industries, ageing looks can spell the end of a career.

Last summer, the BBC came in for harsh criticism when 66-year-old Strictly Come Dancing judge and choreographer Arlene Phillips was replaced by the less–experienced, 30-year-old popstar Alesha Dixon. To make matters worse, Phillips’s male colleagues on the show, ranging in age from 44 to 65, and the show’s 81-year-old presenter, Bruce Forsyth, were all retained.

UK radio and TV presenters Moira Stuart, Selina Scott and Jo Whiley, all highly experienced professionals, were also replaced by younger colleagues. They join a long line of media presenters, including Kate Adie and Anna Ford, who have spoken out against ageism in the media.

Closer to home, national broadcaster RTÉ came in for criticism when former southern correspondent and marine correspondent Tom MacSweeney blamed ageism when he was forced off the Radio One programme Seascapes earlier this year because he was 65.

In the US, feminism took a new turn when the president of the National Organisation for Women, Terry O’Neill, came out against a government levy on elective cosmetic surgery. She claims that, unlike older men, mature women’s jobs often depended on their ability to retain their good looks.

Silver ceiling
Dr Diane Grant of Liverpool John Moores University led a three-year research project on the challenges facing ageing baby boomers in the workplace.

“Many baby boomers approaching late middle age are now considered too old by some employers to be worth considering for jobs, promotion or training. As a result, many older people feel that they are invisible along with their applications.”

However, older women workers face a double jeopardy she says. “Today’s older women not only face challenges linked to being female and trying to break through the glass ceiling but they are also being positioned with men challenging the silver ceiling of ageism,” says Grant.

A study by AGE, the European Older People’s Platform, also found that employment is one of the main fields of discrimination against the over 50s throughout the EU.
“Companies fail to tailor working conditions to the needs of the older worker, such as flexible working time and ergonomic workstations. State pension systems also discriminate against older people, especially older women, putting financial pressure on them when they do retire from work,” cites the report.

The way forward
According to a Social Policy and Ageing Research Centre report, training is the key. Changing the cultural mindset of employers, promoting upskilling and working with agencies such as FÁS could help retain and re-integrate older workers.

“Age discrimination not only has a damaging human cost but it also imposes serious financial pressures on organisations and the economy as a whole. Employers urgently need to adopt a more age-neutral approach to recruitment and training. Otherwise, the vast experience of many fit, healthy and able older people, who could work for up to another 20 years, will be irrevocably lost,” warns Grant.