The study “Understanding ageism in relation to younger and older workers”, by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation (FFMS), states that prejudice based on age was reported by 33.5% of workers in Portugal.

In the case of younger workers (18-35 years old), the percentage reached 42.3%, being 28.6% among middle-aged workers and 25.6% among older workers.

“Human resources and personnel decisions involving younger and older workers are often age-biased – ageism has been shown to affect these decisions,” says the FFMS press release announcing the work, which was coordinated by David Patient, Professor of Leadership at Vlerick Business School (Belgium).

According to the research, ageism, especially in relation to younger workers, is “understood, despite being a more frequent phenomenon than sexism and racism, and having profound negative implications for individuals, organizations, and societies.”

In the case of people, “it is associated with lower levels of psychological well-being,” both for those targeted and for those who hold “ageist beliefs,” and is also detrimental to organizations, by reducing job satisfaction and the intention to remain there.

The results of the study also show that “age biases can negatively affect the mental health of everyone” involved, contributing to “greater absenteeism (…), a decrease in creativity, innovation and collaboration in teams” and “probably overloading the health system”.

More than a quarter of younger workers reported having been discriminated against because of their age, from the recruitment phase to promotion and dismissal. Younger workers “also tend to be relatively poorly paid, do not feel valued, receive derogatory comments, are seen as less competent and have fewer opportunities for development than their older colleagues”.