Jon Allison’s Monday Blog
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about college professors and their reluctance to retire. They are, of course, in the position of being able to choose to stay on because those who have tenure can’t be terminated unless there is cause to do so. Even Professor Marcy, the Astronomer who resigned after pressure from colleagues following a sexual harassment investigation, wasn’t fired.
The majority of us do not have the job security of college professors and many older workers are experiencing age discrimination. Take the example of Leslye Evans-Lane. She left her teaching job in New Mexico when she was 58 because she and her husband were moving to Oregon. She assumed that with her extensive experience she’d find work. Instead, it took 2 years to find a part-time teaching gig. Then, after six months on the job, the position became full-time and she was terminated and replaced with a younger teacher. She wasn’t even interviewed for the full-time position.
According to AARP two-thirds of workers age 45 to 74 say they have experienced or witnessed age discrimination. It’s not likely to get better. There are a lot of baby boomers and people are living longer. Many older workers are reluctant to retire due in part to concerns over having enough in savings to last as well as simply wanting to work. Employers on the other hand have concerns about job performance decreasing with age, although research does not support those concerns. It’s also less expensive to employ younger workers. This article goes in to more detail.
