Definition of Ageism
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- Ageism happens when an individual stereotype and discriminates against a person or group on the ground of their age. Since we understand "old age" along with social, cultural, and biological basis, the way we treat and perceive "older" adults differ in different settings and over time. Ageism can also manifest as a prejudicial attitude or organizational policies that preserve conventional beliefs.
One example of ageism has focused on how discrimination against age works. Kenneth Terrell experimented in California to exhibit the hurdles older workers have to overcome. According to the video, the message is that many agencies do not treat job seekers who are 40 and older as their preferred clients. The video depicts younger clients walking straight to the front while the older customers age 40 and above have to overcome several barriers. In the video, the salespersons are making unsubtle remarks when handling older clients, which implies that they are not welcome. The stereotypes the older customers are fighting as they interact with the salespersons, which link with their age, are hurting. One character in the video learns that she cannot fit in the organization's team, and she concludes that the employers are judging her more by age and not her resume.
I would say the message is harmful because discrimination against age, especially in workplaces, may lead to demotivation, harm productiveness, as well as cause a rise in turnover. Once individuals who are approaching 40 witnesses a colleague being a victim of ageism, they drop their ambitions as future workers in a particular organization. The ageism in the video may also escalate and see "older workers" receiving little or no in-service training because of age discrimination.
- The context of leisure and aging also revolves around research issues. Assuming I am a researcher for a major university and I have the task to conduct a study of leisure practices and attitudes among the residents at a large, local assisted living facility, I would use the qualitative method of research as opposed to the quantitative research method. I would choose the qualitative methods because it would help me to reveal the perception of "older adults" regarding leisure and aging. Under this method, I would collect and analyze non-numerical data like video or audio to know the experiences of my participants concerning leisure practices and attitudes in the facility. I would use this method thoroughly to gather participants' understanding of the concept of leisure. Since the qualitative research method is investigative research, I would use it to obtain cognizance of fundamental individual motivations, reasons as well as opinions on the choice of leisure practices from my respondents. That way, I would gain insight into the concept of leisure practices and develop ideas for future researches. Through a qualitative research method, I would uncover trends in my participants' opinions, thus plunge, deeper into the issue of adult's views about aging, leisure practices, and their physical health. My qualitative data collection methods would mainly be through focus groups, individual interviews, and observations.
Some of the challenges I think I might face in trying to conduct this study include identifying the local assisted living facility and acquiring access because of the gatekeeping networks and the unforeseen feeling of the burden by my respondents. I would overcome this challenge by making initial contacts to establish the gatekeepers. Another challenge regards recruitment and building of trust as well as retaining my participants. To overcome this challenge, I must involve gatekeepers and incorporate tokens of gifts as well as provide sufficient information to make sure that my participants understand their rights during and after the research.