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Consuming to work: gendered ageism in the Australian labour market

Consuming to work: gendered ageism in the Australian labour market. Susan Ainsworth and Leanne Cutcher Work and Organisational Studies The University of Sydney. Intersection of 2 trends: gendered aspects. Workforce ageing and age discrimination in employment. Increased consumption

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Consuming to work: gendered ageism in the Australian labour market

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  1. Consuming to work: gendered ageism in the Australian labour market Susan Ainsworth and Leanne Cutcher Work and Organisational Studies The University of Sydney

  2. Intersection of 2 trends: gendered aspects Workforce ageing and age discrimination in employment Increased consumption of anti-ageing products and services

  3. Workforce ageing and age discrimination in employment • By 2021, 20% of Australia’s population will be over 65 (Encel 2003) • Australia’s workforce participation rates for men and women 55-65 are among the lowest in the OECD (OECD 2005) • Progress in combating age discrimination slow and uneven (Duncan 2001; Glover & Branine 2001; Loretto & White 2006; McGoldrick & Arrowsmith 2001; Redman & Snape 2002; Taylor & Walker 1998; Urwin 2006)

  4. Workforce ageing and age discrimination in employment • Negative stereotypes persist despite large body of evidence debunking them (Encel 1999; Johnson & Zimmerman 1993; Laczko and Phillipson 1991; Metcalf with Meadows 2006) • These stereotypes have been found to influence employment related decisions (Avolio & Barrett 1987; Brooke and Taylor 2005; Ferris, Yates, Gilmore & Rowland 1985; Finkelstein, Burke & Raju 1995; Rosen & Jerdee 1976) • Organisations tend to use young, vibrant bodies as symbols of their brand ethos (Tyler & Abbott 1998; Pettinger 2004; Spiess & Waring 2005)

  5. Cultural meaning of ageing • Ageing is an embodied and gendered process (Tulle-Winton 1999) • Western societies: ageing is problematic, negative (Gullette 1997; Warren 1998) • “Successful ageing” = the extent to which you can minimise or hide it (Andrews 1999) Rise of anti-ageing industries

  6. Why is it problematic? • 1. Contributes to cultural repression of older age groups • 2. Physical limits to which ageing can be hidden or masked • 3. To what extent do people face discrimination in employment because they present an ‘old’ appearance ?

  7. Implications • Individual • How much time and money is spent trying to look younger so people can compete in the labour market? • Organisational • Are they limiting themselves by using images of youth to appeal to a customer base which is itself ageing? • Are they limiting their potential workforce by explicit or implicit age bias in their corporate image? • Government • Does this ageism undermine attempts to increase the workforce participation of older Australians?

  8. Getting the real picture • Focus groups • Pilot with women • Larger study will include men • Self-nominate If you or your organisation are interested in being involved in the focus groups please contact either Susan (s.ainsworth@econ.usyd.edu.au) or Leanne (l.cutcher@econ.usyd.edu.au) or Phone (02) 903 65472.

  9. References • Andrews, M. 1999 ‘The seductiveness of agelessness’, Ageing and Society 19: 301-318. • Avolio, B.J. & Barrett, G.V. 1987 ‘Effects of age stereotyping in a simulated interview’, Psychology and Ageing, 2: 56-63 • Baurillard, Jean (1998) Consumer Society: Myths and Structures, ranslated Chris Turner, Sage Publications, Ltd, London. • Brooke, L. & Taylor, P. 2005 ‘Older workers and employment: managing age relations’, Ageing and Society, 25: 415-429. • Duncan, C. 2001 ‘Ageism, early exit, and the rationality of age-based discrimination’, in Ageism in work and employment, I. Glover and M. Branine (eds), 25-46. Aldershot: Ashgate. • Encel, S. 1999 Productivity of mature age workers. Paper presented at Older Australians: A Working Future? Adelaide, 7-9 November. • Encel,S. 2003 Age can work: the case for older Australians staying in the workforce. A report to the ACTU and BCA. • Ferris, Yates, Gilmore & Rowland 1985 • Finkelstein, L.M., Burke, M.J. & Raju, N.S. 1995 ‘Age discrimination in simulated employment contexts: an integrative analysis’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 80: 652-663. • Glover, I. & Branine, M. 2001 ‘Introduction: the challenge of longer and healthier lives’, in Ageism in work and employment. I. Glover and M. Branine (eds), 3-24. Aldershot: Ashgate. • Gullette, M.M. 1997 Declining to decline: cultural combat and the politics of the midlife. Charlottesville: University of Virginia • Johnson, P. & Zimmerman, K.F. 1993 ‘Ageing and the European labour market: public policy issues’, in Labour markets in an ageing Europe. P. Johnson and K.F. Zimmerman (eds), 1-25. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. • Lacsko, F. & Phillipson, C. 1991 Changing work and retirement:. Buckingham: Open University Press. • Loretto, W. & White, P. 2006 ‘Employers’ attitudes, practices and policies towards older workers’, Human Resource Management Journal, 16: 313-330.

  10. References • McGoldrick, A.E. & Arrowsmith, J. 2001 ‘Discrimination by age: the organizational response’, in Ageism in work and employment, I. Glover and M. Branine (eds), 75-96. Aldershot: Ashgate. • Metcalf, H. with Meadows. P. 2006 Survey of employers’ policies, practices and preferences relating to age, Research Report 325, DTI Employment Relations Research Series 49, Department for Work and Pensions. • OECD 2005 Ageing and Employment Policies: Australia. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. • Pettinger, L. 2005 ‘Gendered work meets gendered goods: selling and service in clothing retail’, Gender, Work and Organization, 12(5): 460-478. • Redman, T. & Snape, E. 2002 ‘Ageism in teaching: stereotypical beliefs and discriminatory attitudes towards the over-50s’, Work, Employment and Society, 16: 355-371. • Rosen, B. & Jerdee, T.H. 1976 ‘The influence of age stereotypes on managerial decisions’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 61: 428-432. • Speiss, L. & Waring, P. 2005 ‘Aesthetic labour, cost minimization and the labour process in the Asia Pacific airline industry’, Employee Relations, 27(1/2): 193-207. • Taylor, P. & Walker, A. 1998 ‘Employers and older workers: attitudes and employment practices’, Ageing and Society, 18: 641-658. • Tulle-Winton, E. 1999 ‘Growing old and resistance: towards a new cultural economy of old age?’ Ageing and Society, 19: 281-299. • Tyler, M. & Abbott, P. 1998 “Chocs away: weightwatching in the contemporary airline industry’, Sociology, 32(3): 433-450. • Urwin, P. 2006 ‘Age discrimination: legislation and human capital accumulation’, Employee Relations, 28: 87-97. • Warren, C.A.B. 1998 ‘Aging and identity in premodern times’, Research on Aging, 20(1): 11-35. • Wolkowitz, C 2006, Body Work, Palgrave, London.

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