January/February AARP Bulletin: Ageism in the Workplace Remains Rampant

WASHINGTON—If you are over 50 and haven’t felt the sting of ageism yet, you soon will, according to experts and surveys. Ageism in the workplace is the last acceptable bias in America, and signs of illegal age discrimination are widespread, according to an expanded special report in this month’s AARP Bulletin. The report notes ageism in three primary categories:

• HIRING: Younger applicants are often explicitly favored for open positions, particularly through illegally worded help-wanted ads that appear every day on online job boards;
• ON-THE-JOB: Older workers continue to face verbal harassment and blocked  advancement opportunities, particularly in high-tech industries, due to a continued misperception of older workers’ digital skill sets and cultural attributes;
• FIRING: Older workers can be targeted for layoffs or termination due to often-false perceptions about their pay levels and contributions.

The investigation also shows that some large companies might have few concerns over their age-discriminatory practices because the laws that are supposed to protect workers from ageism are decidedly weaker than laws protecting against other forms of bias. Find out how to spot ageism, both in and out of the workplace, and what you can do to combat it.

Separately, AARP Bulletin kicks off its ongoing coverage of the 2020 election with a look at the powerful impact older voters will have on the election, plus other trends that will shape campaigns over the next 11 months. For example, experts predict that, for the first time in U.S. history, dollars spent on social media campaigns will exceed those spent on broadcast television. Experts also predict that political parties and candidates’ personal attributes will far outweigh the role of specific issues in driving voters’ choices.

Other stories in the January/February issue include:

Your Health

• Is Your Blood Pressure Being Treated Right?: A mega-study that followed nearly 5 million participants has come to a stunning conclusion: That one of the most popular treatments for hypertension – a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors – might not be the optimal choice. The study suggests that a class of diuretics might result in better outcomes. However, some purport that the data does not account for certain key variables. Read more details about the study and how it could affect millions of adults over 65 who have high blood pressure.

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