Media representations of the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences have shaped people’s fears, anxiety, and perceptions of vulnerability. Social scientists have examined the consequences of how information is “framed.” Framing theory asserts that issues can be portrayed differently by emphasizing or de-emphasizing aspects and information. According to Lakoff (2004) the impact of a message is not based on what is said but how it is said. Theories of framing focus on how the media frames issues, which then structure and shape attitudes and policies. A news article serves as a frame for an intended message. This paper examines the ways that “age” has been framed during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most dominant frames in terms of COVID-19 coverage is how the pandemic has been analyzed through the lens of age and framed in terms of age discrimination.  The results of news articles appearing in several prominent newspapers indicate that the perceptions of elders and their vulnerabilities to severe consequences from Covid-19 are likely to help perpetuate or create age discrimination.

This study examined whether age-related discrimination, negative age-related stereotypes about declining abilities due to age, job engagement (cognitive, physical, and emotional), and workplace intergenerational climate in terms of positive intergenerational affect (PIA) and workplace intergenerational inclusiveness (WIG) correlated with life satisfaction in a university setting. The analysis was based on 115–117 faculty and staff, 50 years or older. A Principal Axis factor analysis with Promax rotation on the job-related variable revealed three factors: Experiencing Ageism (discrimination and negative stereotypes), Work Climate (PIA and WIG), and Job Engagement (physical, emotional, and cognitive). The factor-based regression scores on the three-factor-based scores were correlated with life satisfaction and also subjected to hierarchical regression analyses with age, sex, and education entered on the first step and the three factors on the second step. The results of both the correlational and hierarchical regression analysis indicated that experiencing ageism was significantly predictive of life satisfaction, and that ageism may play a more primary role than job engagement and work climate-related variables in accounting for life satisfaction.

This qualitative study explores perceived age discrimination in the workplace. Increasing age diversity in the workplace has led to an associated increase in ageism. While a large percentage of older workers report being subjected to discriminatory treatment in the workplace, ageism also appears to be gendered. Older female workers are being victimized at a greater rate than their male counterparts. The intersection of age, gender, and other forms of discrimination results in increased stress, threatens the well-being of workers of all ages, and creates a toxic workplace climate.  Analysis of 244 participants’ responses to open-ended items indicated that ageism is prevalent in the workplace and threatens work and life satisfaction. In this study, both male and female participants were negatively affected by ageism in the workplace, although the female participants reported experiencing workplace discrimination more frequently. Qualitative analysis identified several important themes relating to ageism; these included threats to feelings of competence; self-doubt and helplessness; being subjected to momism; feeling isolated and lonely; and gradual disengagement from the workplace. The results are discussed in relation to workplace inclusivity and individual, organizational, and societal consequences of age discrimination.