HR

Age Ch 12

"INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEWIn this chapter, we consider age as an aspect of diversity, focusing on ageism, age-based misper-ceptions about the contributions and performance of workers, and the need to value contributions ofall workers, regardless of age.Ageism is defined as prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination directed at a person because ofhis or her age.2 Age stereotypes are judgments about individual employees based upon their agerather than on their actual knowledge, skills, or abilities.3 As is evident by the definitions, ageismand age stereotypes are not limited to older workers, contrary to common belief. Thus, the perspec-tives and experiences of both younger and older workers are included in this chapter. The increasingproportion of older workers, the declining ratio of younger workers entering the workforce, and thegreater racial and ethnic diversity of younger workers make both younger and older workers impor-tant to an understanding of age diversity in organizations.Age is a unique aspect of diversity, having attributes that differentiate it from things such asrace, sex, and ethnicity. First, at some point, those who are young cease to be young and becomeold and those who are now old were once young.4 This change in status contrasts with the perma-nence and stability of race and ethnicity and (in most cases) gender. Although cosmetics, hair color-ing, or cosmetic surgery may be of some help in avoiding the appearance of aging, people’s generalage range remains fairly apparent to observers and the process of aging remains certain for every-one who lives. The inevitability of this change in status also makes age discrimination seem particu-larly strange in comparison with other forms of discrimination. Those who hold prejudices anddiscriminate against other groups will generally not become a member of the devalued groups;there is no risk of suffering their fate. Whites will not become Black, chromosomal men will notbecome chromosomal women, and Native Americans will not become Asians. With aging, however,unless people die young (which most would not choose), everyone will become a member of the“older” age group. Although this fact would appear to provide an impetus to avoid older age discrim-ination, such discrimination is common.Second, when compared to race, ethnicity, and sex, the concepts of “older” and “younger” aremore complex than perceptions of other attributes. When does one become an older worker? Atwhat age does one become older and thus less likely to be hired, trained, or promoted? At whatage do employees become old enough such that negative perceptions (e.g., unmotivated, self-centered) about them as younger workers end? At what age do positive perceptions (e.g., trainable,energetic) about younger workers cease and perceptions shift to the negative (e.g., too old to learn,set in their ways)? Clearly, there are no definitive answers to these questions. Perceptions of young," "ld, younger, and older vary by perceiver, employee/applicant, organization, industry, and position.As much as possible, and where appropriate, in this chapter we explain the relevant age or agerange.When are younger workers preferred and older workers disadvantaged? Consider the followingapparent contradictions. In many hiring situations, younger workers are viewed as more desirablethan older workers. On the other hand, the great majority of managers, executives, and higher-status workers are older, rather than younger, workers. Even so, young managers and executivesare often actively pursued and viewed as being on the “fast track.” The youngest workers, aged14 to 17, experience sexual harassment at higher rates than older workers, which may be due toperceptions that they lack knowledge and are vulnerable. These apparent contradictions may beexplained in part by the idea that there is a “prime age.” Prime age refers to the age range of themost preferred employees—those who are between 25 and 35—which suggests that this group isfavored over those who are both younger and older.5The world’s population is aging, and older people are working longer than ever before. Becausethese older workers often have more corporate memory and experience than others, organizationsthat fail to recognize the value in providing opportunities for older workers will be disadvantaged. Inaddition, there are fewer younger workers entering the workforce than in the past, they are identifi-able, have less power, experience discrimination, and have some level of group awareness, as rele-vant to non-dominant group members.A great deal of academic research and corporate and media attention has been given to attitu-dinal and behavioral differences across age groups. As we discuss later, both similarities and differ-ences exist. These differences can be attributed to:1. Life cycle effects, which refers to the stage of life people are in. As younger people age, theymay become more like older people currently are.2. Period effects, which refers to the ways people are affected by what is going on during theirlives. While everyone experiences period effects, their impact is different, depending on whereone is in the life cycle. For example, youth who leave college during an economic recessionsuffer long-term effects compared with those whose careers are already established before arecession.3. Cohort effects. Because young adults are still developing core values, important period events,such as The Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, or the Occupy Movement, may deeplyaffect and stay with them as they move throughout their lives. People in the same cohort, whohave experienced key events, are more likely to retain similarity in attitudes toward certainthings, such as savings or equal rights for minorities, as they move through life.6In this chapter, we consider the value that people of all ages bring to organizations.HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDIn the past, many employees remained with one employer for most of their adultwork lives. Stability in employment (for the most desired workers) persisted throughthe 1950s. During the 1960s, however, some employers’ refusal to hire older workers,which was legal, and enforcement of mandatory retirement resulted in protests andresistance from older workers. Like Blacks, women, and Latinos who obtained civiland employment rights, older workers also worked to obtain greater employmentrights through their vocal and purposeful struggles that contributed to the passageof the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) in 1967. Organizations suchas the Gray Panthers and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) con-tinue to work for equal rights for workers of various ages"

Global Diversity. CH 16

"INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEWIn the first chapter of this book, diversity was defined as real or perceived differences among peoplein such areas as race, ethnicity, sex, age, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, religion,work and family status, weight and appearance, social class, and other identity-based attributesthat affect their interactions and relationships.1 With this as a foundation and a focus on differentgroups in the U.S. population, the following fourteen chapters covered theories of diversity; legisla-tion concerning diversity; Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Whites, American Indians, Alaska Natives, andmultiracial group members; sex and gender; work and family; sexual orientation; religion; age; phys-ical and mental ability; and weight and appearance as specific aspects of diversity. These are theissues that are currently most important in the United States, which is where most of the furorabout increasing diversity began and is the source of most of the published research on diversity.Each chapter included information on non-U.S. diversity research, laws, or other issues, includ-ing such things as name based discrimination in Australia (Chapter 6), work and family policies inmultiple countries (Chapter 10), and age discrimination laws in Australia and the United Kingdom(Chapter 13). This chapter further explores diversity in a global context. Researchers and scholarsoutside the United States have emphasized the limited relevance to other countries of the U.S. expe-rience with diversity2 and how little “diversity” there is in diversity research.3 Yet, diversity as “realor perceived differences among people that affect their interactions and relationships” is extremelyrelevant on a global scale. Discrimination, dominance, marginalization, and the colonization of peo-ple based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and numerous other factors occurall over the world. From the viewpoint of power, dominance, discrimination, and control ofresources,the chosen terminology) are universalbecomes clearer. As we investigate diversity from a global viewpoint, we maintain the perspectivethat diversity is increasingly inevitable and is of value to individuals, organizations, and societyeverywhere.the factthat diversity issues (regardless ofMisperception:")

"immigration, age distributions, advances in health care, external pressures, and competition. As in theUnited States, the growth of the workforce in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico is small whencompared to previous periods. In Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and South Africa, declines inthe population of working adults are projected for 2010 through 2050. The need to allow or, indeed,encourage active, full participation in the workforce is particularly vital in these countries.Further, although the majority of the laws, cases, and examples discussed in earlier chaptersare from the United States, the overall premise of diversity and inclusion via multiple avenues iscommon in many places.4 Many of the topics covered in each chapter are substantially similarregardless of where they occur. For example, sex and gender strongly influence one’s education,workforce participation, income, treatment, occupation, and status within organizations in Australia,China, England, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, the United States, and most places that one couldname. Work and family considerations, including the availability and cost of child care, social poli-cies, income, and institutional support, are important to people wherever they live and work. Differ-ences in people’s religious beliefs affect them everywhere, and individual, employment, and societaldiscrimination, harassment, and exclusion based on religion occurs in many countries. The racialprofiling of minorities discussed in previous chapters is also a problem in Canada, where Blacksand, to a lesser extent, Asians are more likely to be stopped and searched (and thus arrested andconvicted) than similarly behaving Whites.5 Discrimination based on color and preferences for Whiteor lighter-skinned people are common in Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa, and many other coun-tries.6 And there are numerous other similarities, such as wage discrimination, un- and underem-ployment, and occupational segregation of non-dominant racial and ethnic groups,in manycountries. In many places, there are employment-related laws that focus on diversity issues (e.g.,equal employment for women, minority, or disenfranchised groups) although who is targeted variesby country.On the other hand, within each region there are numerous unique issues and concerns, whichare based on that region’s particular historical, cultural, religious, and other differences. For exam-ple, in Saudi Arabia, religious beliefs severely impede women’s participation in the workforce. InJapan, most women hold temporary jobs, rather than the lifetime jobs that are common for Japa-nese men. The Burakumin people in Japan have experienced historical discrimination and exclusionbased on their class, and this continues today.7 Similarly, India maintains a system of caste-baseddiscrimination that disadvantages the majority of its population due to their caste rather than theirindividual abilities and competencies.8 Migrants and ethnic minorities in Australia experience dis-crimination in various forms despite current diversity policies.9 Given the size of the world and thenumber of countries, each with distinct concerns, a truly comprehensive study of diversity worldwideis a nearly impossible undertaking. Even so, there is value in understanding issues that are commonaround the world.It is not possible to include here the history of multiple groups in every country, as we did inprevious chapters for groups in the United States. However, knowing that country-specific history,culture, and laws affect diversity everywhere will allow readers to address and value diversity,regardless of context. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be better equipped to investigate,understand, and apply ways to best incorporate the diversity of a particular area. A “Western” viewof diversity is not at all appropriate to every culture; indeed, a U.S. point of view is not appropriate forCanada, nor is a Canadian point of view appropriate for the United States, although both are Westerncountries. What is applicable is the recognition that diversity issues affect individuals, and thus orga-nizations, differently around the world and so they should be investigated within the context of wherethey occur. Figure 16.1 presents some of the factors to consider in identifying the dominant andnon-dominant groups and areas of concern in countries around the world, although not every factoris relevant to each group in every country.We begin our exploration of global diversity issues by documenting that discrimination and dif-ferential treatment are worldwide phenomena; we then consider sex and gender, disabilities, sexual"