Has ageism affected the progress of your career?
Answers
Ageism has many destructive effects on seniors’ mental health and career opportunities. Although ageism is against federal law, and in case of discrimination, the company undergoes significant fines and damaged reputation; still, many startups tend to take advantage of the younger ones; because they believe that seniors become senile and slow as they age. Whether the business is small or large, ageism has penetrated everywhere and in people’s minds. However, these companies and people forget some small facts about seniors. They cannot see that seniors are more experienced and expert than young workers.
A new and fresh worker can never have the exact knowledge and experience as an older one. By ignoring these facts, employers lose skillful and mature seniors who can be effective in the company’s reputation. Employers not only lose qualified workers, but they also lose great and free mentors. Seniors are considered a blessing in the workplace. Without spending time or paying any cost, younger workers can use their experience and advice whenever they want.
Ageism also results in tension, chaos, and distrust in the work environment. Some employees are constantly worried about who might be the next, and some prefer not to work in such a hostile environment. So, this leads to losing workers. Regarding the destructive mental effects of ageism, a study showed that women subjected to work discrimination are more likely to show depressive symptoms. The reason is apparent. When one cannot afford the basic financial needs of his life, he will be depressed, and this depression affects others.
In short, we all need to accept the increasing population of seniors. Sooner or later, we will be a part of it. It’s time to stop and eradicate ageism.
I’ve been working as an accountant for 22 years. One visible difference is that I used to get so many more job offers when I was younger. I worked for four different companies as an accountant. Now, I feel like I have to work in my current company forever because few companies are willing to hire anyone above 50. As a matter of fact, I don’t know any. I think my career was mainly affected by ageism because it involves numbers and concentration. And as you get older, people automatically assume that you are not good at doing numbers with accuracy anymore.
I’ve been an accountant for my entire working life, and I’ve been at my present company for years. I’d always assumed my experience was one of my assets – until one day, my supervisor told me that he expected I’d ‘hurry up and retire’ because I was getting too old. There were too many female employees in the office. I couldn’t believe what he told me; it made me feel awkward as if he was ridiculing my age. It also made me feel like my work and my assistance to our office weren’t appreciated.
Honestly, my experiences in the career field have somehow protected me from the ageism issue. Whenever I wanted to change my job or find better-paying ones, I had no problems. I’ll be 65 soon, and I can still see the job I want if I want to work again. I’d strongly advise you to update your skills and add as much as you can to your experiences. Doing so, nobody dares to subject you to ageism or even affect the progress of your career.
