I’ve written a few times about the impact ageism has in the workplace, and recent research from Anglia Ruskin University highlights how this is often compounded by matters of race and gender.
“It is clear that, several years after the introduction of the 2010 Equality Act, age discrimination in the labor market persists,” the researchers explain. “Our research shows this gulf is exacerbated by factors of race and gender.”
Unfair treatment
The research saw a number of experiments involving online job applications from fictitious candidates being made to real vacancies in areas such as hospitality and sales. For instance, in one experiment, recruiters were sent identical applications with the exception of age, with one being from a 28-year-old white British male and the other being from a 50-year-old white British male.
This was then adjusted in subsequent experiments so that the younger applicant was paired with a 50-year-old white British female, a 50-year-old black British male, and a 50-year-old black British female.
In each, the younger white British male was much more likely to be offered an interview, with race and gender exacerbating an already unfair situation. For instance, they were 22% more likely to be offered an interview than the black male and 29% more likely than the black female.
What’s more, the younger male candidate was also more likely to be offered roles with a higher salary than their peers from all of the other conditions. As before, race and gender made things worse, with the black male’s salary 13% lower and the black female’s salary 15% lower than that offered to that of the young white male.
“These results suggest that older people might have to spend more time, effort and resources than younger people to obtain an interview for a lower-paid vacancy, despite often having many years of experience in the workplace behind them,” the authors conclude.
“The U.K. has an aging population and the retirement age is increasing. An active older population enjoying equal treatment in the job market will be better able to contribute to growth and the economy.”
