Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice
In their focal article, Rudolph etal. (2021) recognized the aging workforce as a key topic relevant to the pandemic for both researchers and practitioners alike, describing a framework of differential susceptibility and differential impact based on life-span perspectives of aging. We agree that agin...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE170100005 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85251 |
| _version_ | 1848764727292854272 |
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| author | Iles, Lucinda Parker, Sharon |
| author_facet | Iles, Lucinda Parker, Sharon |
| author_sort | Iles, Lucinda |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In their focal article, Rudolph etal. (2021) recognized the aging workforce as a key topic relevant to the pandemic for both researchers and practitioners alike, describing a framework of differential susceptibility and differential impact based on life-span perspectives of aging. We agree that aging workers are of primary importance for psychologists in the pandemic. However, we propose that the differential susceptibility and impact framework can also usefully be considered from a social psychology and age diversity perspective. We argue that the pandemic does not only affect the aging workforce due to natural developmental processes or increased physical susceptibility to illness, but rather, the pandemic exacerbates existing attitudes and biases toward older workers in age-diverse teams and organizations, which can lead to a more hostile work environment for older workers, diminishing team effectiveness, and limiting older workers’ access to work opportunities.
Next, we outline why and how age-based social categorization processes and biases might be affected during the pandemic. We then offer suggestions for research and practice. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:23:57Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-85251 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:23:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-852512021-10-27T07:23:15Z Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice Iles, Lucinda Parker, Sharon Social Sciences Psychology, Applied Psychology DIVERSITY WORK In their focal article, Rudolph etal. (2021) recognized the aging workforce as a key topic relevant to the pandemic for both researchers and practitioners alike, describing a framework of differential susceptibility and differential impact based on life-span perspectives of aging. We agree that aging workers are of primary importance for psychologists in the pandemic. However, we propose that the differential susceptibility and impact framework can also usefully be considered from a social psychology and age diversity perspective. We argue that the pandemic does not only affect the aging workforce due to natural developmental processes or increased physical susceptibility to illness, but rather, the pandemic exacerbates existing attitudes and biases toward older workers in age-diverse teams and organizations, which can lead to a more hostile work environment for older workers, diminishing team effectiveness, and limiting older workers’ access to work opportunities. Next, we outline why and how age-based social categorization processes and biases might be affected during the pandemic. We then offer suggestions for research and practice. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85251 10.1017/iop.2021.15 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE170100005 CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Psychology, Applied Psychology DIVERSITY WORK Iles, Lucinda Parker, Sharon Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title | Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title_full | Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title_fullStr | Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title_short | Age bias in the time of Coronavirus: Implications for research and practice |
| title_sort | age bias in the time of coronavirus: implications for research and practice |
| topic | Social Sciences Psychology, Applied Psychology DIVERSITY WORK |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE170100005 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/85251 |