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 b.

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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"