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The Gerontologist Advance Access originally published online on April 17, 2009
The Gerontologist 2009 49(3):317-332; doi:10.1093/geront/gnp031
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Managing Age Discrimination: An Examination of the Techniques Used When Seeking Employment

Ellie D. Berger, PhD1,2

2 Department of Sociology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

1 Address correspondence to Ellie D. Berger, PhD, Department of Sociology, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, Ontario, Canada P1B 8L7. E-mail: ellieb{at}nipissingu.ca


  Abstract

Purpose: This article examines the age-related management techniques used by older workers in their search for employment. Design and Methods: Data are drawn from interviews with individuals aged 45–65 years (N = 30). Results: Findings indicate that participants develop "counteractions" and "concealments" to manage perceived age discrimination. Individuals counteract employers’ ageist stereotypes by maintaining their skills and changing their work-related expectations and conceal age by altering their résumés, physical appearance, and language used. Implications: This research suggests that there is a need to reexamine the hiring practices of employers and to improve legislation in relation to their accountability.

Keywords: Ageism, Hiring practices, Management techniques, Older workers, Unemployment

Received November 2, 2007; Accepted August 13, 2008

Decision Editor: Nancy Schoenberg, PhD


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