Ageism in Marketing: Why Does It Happen So Often? – World of Marketing

Today, the population aged 50 to 59 represents 11.4% of the population and those aged 60 and over 15.1%, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Within companies, however, the numbers are different. At the vast majority of companies, these professionals represent only 3 to 5 percent of the workforce, according to Maturi.

Ernst & Young and the agency Maturi conducted the survey: “Why are people over 50 not considered the workforce in an aging country?”. The study listened to almost 200 companies in Brazil and showed that companies have only 6% to 10% of people over 50 on their staff. In addition, 78% of companies consider themselves age groups and have barriers to hiring in this age group.

Nowadays, especially in the labor market, issues related to age are increasingly discussed and put on the agenda, either for something positive or for something negative. “It shouldn’t be like that, we can’t put people in boxes based on their age. For example, older people, being more experienced, contribute in ways that someone just starting out never could. The same applies to younger people, who can bring completely different and current ideas and worldviews. This just reinforces that the integration is coming to add and contribute positively to the company,” said Pedro Signorelli, management expert, with emphasis on OKRs.

Leaders must help combat prejudice

To add some color to this topic, Pedro Signorelli recalls that a few years ago, a person in his 30s argued that a certain IT management framework, ITIL, should no longer be used because it was outdated. “Great, what do we put in its place? What is the proposal to implement and solve the problems that this framework solves? The point is that seniors can indeed add a lot of value through their experience, as they have already made enough mistakes throughout their lives. We don’t need to make the same mistakes, let’s make different ones. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” he says.

Pedro also states that when leadership is good, he soon realizes that fueling this generational conflict is a waste of time and exploiting people’s potential, even more so when he should be encouraging them to talk, share experiences and more all, to learn from each other. Differences will exist, but they can help find points that will strengthen the team as a whole.

Of course, promoting this interaction is not an easy process. “Being a good leader requires many demands and responsibilities, which are doubled when we are talking about someone who has to lead employees of different age groups. However, it is always possible to find a middle ground so that these two worlds can be encompassed: active listening and knowing what to ask for/who to ask for will help you find ways to bring out the best in each.” , points out. Pedro out.

Age must be disclosed

Age is a type of bias that is little publicized but has been reported, as labor lawyer André Leonardo Couto, director of ALC Advogados, points out. The expert points out that this type of discrimination, provided for in Law 10.741/2003, of the Statute of the Elderly, can lead to prosecution for moral damage.

Aging is a natural process of life and unfortunately in our society there is a perception that the elderly should not be valued and with this comes ageism. Also called ageism or ageism, it can be defined as discrimination, prejudice and aversion against the elderly.

André Leonardo Couto highlights the importance of managers understanding what age is and how it occurs. “From the company management side, it can happen when companies pay lower wages, with the excuse that these older people are less productive. It also happens when colleagues make comments about age or speak to older people in a derogatory, ironic tone. This is worrying, as many times insults, even as a joke, signal an internal problem that needs resolution,” he says.

According to the expert in labor law, this distinction can lead to sanctions provided for in Law 10.741/2003, of the Statute for the Elderly. The legislation describes the crime of discrimination against the elderly as the act of treating a person unfairly or unequally because of their age, creating obstacles or difficulties in accessing banking, transport or creating obstacles to the exercise of their citizenship because of their age. Under Article 96 of the Elderly Statute, it can result in a prison sentence of six months to one year and a fine for those who commit it. “Recalling that moral damages are already requested in the actions and accepted in these age-related cases. Thus, if bias is proven through offenses and other forms of discouragement, both by reporting and by witnesses, companies can be sued, as has already been done,” adds André Leonardo Couto.

The fact is that the country is still a long way from being able to solve the problems related to age, but one way to start is to have leaders who understand that keeping people from different generations in the company is an asset and that they work workers of different ages together can be an advantage. a dominant factor in the success of the company, which will begin to see opportunities where no one else does.

The Expert Program helps assess professionals over 40 years of age

To promote equal opportunities for all people, regardless of age, MBA Mundo do Marketing created the Expert Program, an incentive for professionals over 40 to establish themselves in the market and be as tuned in to the news as newcomers were created. So people over 40 get a 40% discount on MBA and professionals over 50 get a 50% discount.

“The number of marketing professionals being laid off by companies in this age group is very high. They are replaced by younger people who enter the labor market fresher and with cheaper labor. If they continue to train and understand what’s new, instead of being fired, they will become a great force for companies, adding experience and knowledge,” said Bruno Mello.

In the current market, contact with active professionals is worth as much as a good course. However, it is not worth just having this contact without having specific knowledge of what you are doing. The Marketing World MBA combines both ends!

That’s because, in addition to the MBA, students will earn a one-year membership to Clube Mundo do Marketing, a tool that allows subscribers to interview the top names in Marketing and access a chat stream. The Club also allows sharing of live experiences with executives.

Find out more about the Marketing World MBA and specialist programme.