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Age-Typing Across Occupations: When, Where, and Why Occupational Age-Typing Exists
Title
Age-Typing Across Occupations: When, Where, and Why Occupational Age-Typing Exists.
Creator
Reeves, Michael, Fritzsche, Barbara, Dipboye, Robert, Smither, Janan, Matusitz, Jonahan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The present study sought to determine the direction and degree to which occupations representative of all major occupational categories are viewed as age-typed (i.e., more appropriate for older or younger workers). The 60 occupations examined were the 12 most common and familiar occupations in each of five occupational categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau. I randomly assigned 365 participants to one of three survey conditions. Participants rated the feature centrality, proportional...
Show moreThe present study sought to determine the direction and degree to which occupations representative of all major occupational categories are viewed as age-typed (i.e., more appropriate for older or younger workers). The 60 occupations examined were the 12 most common and familiar occupations in each of five occupational categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau. I randomly assigned 365 participants to one of three survey conditions. Participants rated the feature centrality, proportional representation, normative age, and optimal performance age of 20 of the 60 occupations and the age-type of 20 different occupations. Results showed that participants reliably rated the occupations on a continuum from highly young-typed to highly old-typed. Occupations viewed as most appropriate for older workers included psychologists (clinical), bus drivers, and librarians, whereas those viewed as most appropriate for younger workers included recreation and fitness workers, bartenders, and hosts/hostesses. Interestingly, despite commonly held stereotypes that older workers are less competent than younger workers (Kite, Stockdale, Whitley, (&) Johnson, 2005), old-typed occupations were viewed as requiring higher competence than those viewed as young-typed. Additionally, roughly three times as many workers are needed to fill the most young-typed jobs compared to the most old-typed jobs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Both of these findings suggest problems for an increasingly aging workforce (Administration of Aging, 2010). I also found that perceived proportional representation accounted for 79% of the variance in predicting the age-type of occupations. This suggests that people rely on general impressions of current worker ages, which supports career timetables theory's approach to the formation of occupational age-type. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0004156, ucf:49046
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004156
The Challenges of Young-Typed Jobs and How Older Workers Adapt
Title
The Challenges of Young-Typed Jobs and How Older Workers Adapt.
Creator
Reeves, Michael, Fritzsche, Barbara, Dipboye, Robert, Matusitz, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study sought to explore the challenges faced by older workers who do not fit the age-type of their jobs and how older workers adapt to overcome those challenges. Specifically, I surveyed a national sample of 227 workers 50 years of age and older, in a wide variety of jobs, on measures of perceived age discrimination and adaptation behaviors. I found that fit, as determined by career timetables theory, but not prototype matching theory, successfully predicted perceived age discrimination....
Show moreThis study sought to explore the challenges faced by older workers who do not fit the age-type of their jobs and how older workers adapt to overcome those challenges. Specifically, I surveyed a national sample of 227 workers 50 years of age and older, in a wide variety of jobs, on measures of perceived age discrimination and adaptation behaviors. I found that fit, as determined by career timetables theory, but not prototype matching theory, successfully predicted perceived age discrimination. Specifically, more age discrimination was perceived when fewer older workers occupied a job. Additionally, multiple regression analysis showed that career timetables theory, prototype matching theory, and measures of perceived discrimination interacted to predict adaptation behaviors. That is, older workers made more efforts appear younger at work when they perceived age discrimination in jobs occupied by fewer older workers and older women expressed greater desires to appear younger at work when they perceived age discrimination in jobs viewed as more appropriate for younger workers. Although older workers made a wide variety of efforts to appear younger at work, from changing the way they dressed to undergoing surgical procedures, the adaptation efforts believed to be the most effective against age discrimination were more oriented toward enhancing job performance than one's appearance. It is especially troubling that greater perceived age discrimination was found in young-typed jobs (than in old-typed jobs) given that the number of older workers occupying young-typed jobs is expected to rapidly grow in the near future and perceived discrimination is associated with mental and physical consequences for older adults. Understanding effective adaptations to age discrimination is a valuable first step in helping older workers overcome the disadvantages they may face in the workplace, especially when they occupy young-typed jobs. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0005050, ucf:49947
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005050