“Beware the young doctor and the old barber”: development and validation of a job age-type spectrum

Abstract

Taking a worker-centric approach, with evidence based on the experiences of working individuals, the current study examines the age-related stereotypes of jobs, the characteristics of age-stereotyped jobs, and the consequences of occupying them. In Study 1, we utilize samples of working adults from the US, Turkey, and Malaysia to establish validation evidence for a spectrum of 160 jobs (n = 123 raters per job). Study 1 findings indicate that entry-level jobs and jobs requiring manual labor or the use of technology are younger-typed, whereas senior level jobs and jobs requiring large investments in training or education are older-typed. The age-typing of jobs was found to be similar across countries for the vast majority of jobs. We then provide criterion validity evidence in Study 2, by testing the interactive effects of chronological age, job age-type, and sex on psychological age and perceived age and sex discrimination across samples of workers from these same three countries (n = 1469). Results upheld theoretical predictions based upon career timetables theory, prototype matching theory, and intersectional salience of ageism theory. The interactive effects of chronological age and job age-type were stronger for women than for men; the hypothesized patterns of effects were overall consistent for women but not for men.