| The purpose of this research was to learn if older social workers perceived ageism in their workplace. The primary research question was whether older social workers perceived ageism in their work environment, and if there was a relationship between perceptions of ageism and job satisfaction. Secondary questions explored relationships between perceptions of ageism in the social work workplace and four additional variables: age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geographical location of employment.;The study design was descriptive and utilized a cross-sectional sample of 1000 members of the National Association of Social Workers. The respondents in this sample completed three instruments: the Perceptions of Ageism in the Workplace Scale (PAWS), a survey designed to measure perceptions of ageism in the workforce; the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), a survey designed to measure job satisfaction; and a demographic questionnaire developed to provide demographic and employment information.;Based on 202 responses, the results indicate a statistically significant relationship between older workers' perceptions of ageism and their level of job satisfaction. Further, there was also a statistically significant relationship related to specific chronological age and older workers' perceptions of ageism. However, no statistically significant relationships were found between older workers' perceptions of ageism and the secondary variables of gender, race/ethnicity, region of employment, agency size, or level of employment.;This study offers important insights for the profession of social work for the purpose of examining social workers' attitudes towards ageism, while offering information to gerontologists and occupational social workers who will be dealing with a continually growing aging workforce. Social work educators should also find this study useful in preparing social work students for careers in the growing fields of gerontology and occupational social work. Furthermore, schools of social work should find this research useful in developing curriculum content about the issues of work and aging. |
