We all need to understand ageism as an underlying driver of workplace age discrimination – and challenge the myths and stereotypes about older people. The fact is Australians are getting older, and over the next 30 years our population will become the oldest it’s ever been. Australian Bureau of Statistics data reports that the number of people aged 65 and over will double to nearly nine million, and people aged 85 and older will triple to two million.
Australians are also increasingly continuing in paid employment to older ages. As of July 1, the pension age has risen to 67, while a combination of flexible work arrangements, labour shortages, and cost of living pressures means people are either choosing to, or required to, work longer.
Ageist stereotypes are deeply rooted in cultural values and norms that view ageing and older age as undesirable. They can foster a belief or assumption that older workers are somehow less competent, less capable of learning, have declining skills, and are less equipped to adapt to technological change than younger workers. But this is not the reality and it is not what the research shows.
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