Maria Varlamova: Ageism in the workforce – The employers’ perspective

Jour Fixe

SPEAKER

Maria Varlamova

DESCRIPTION

In the coming Jour Fixe that takes place on 17 November 2020, our intern Maria Varlamova will discuss the concept and the pitfalls of her PhD project “Ageism in the workforce: the employers’ perspective”. The presentation will focus on the anticipated theoretical model, challenges of data collection and required project modifications regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as on discussion of the possible outcomes and policy impact of the study.

The project is expected to provide the description of the macro and meso level perspective of the forms and magnitude of ageism and barriers to the retention of older workers in the labour market of Poland, investigate whether HR management acknowledges the need to retain older workers and provide in-depth analyses of the on-going changes in the employer practices. The empirical goal is to examine, if feasible, the changes over ten years in the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour of the employers towards older adults (50+) in the labour market of Poland. This could become the first longitudinal study of ageism in the labour market on the meso-level in the region. Ageism (both positive and negative) is measured via the tripartite model, aiming to combine affective, cognitive, and behavioural components. However, the affective part is complicated to be detected on the meso-level directly. Behaviour is measured by the companies’ age-management practices (or their absence), as direct discrimination is prohibited by law and doesn’t have a high prevalence in Poland. The research focuses on retention/retirement decisions of the employers about employees in pre-retirement and post-retirement age.

Maria Varlamova is a PhD student of the Jagiellonian University within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions ITN EuroAgeism. She specializes in active ageing, social policy on ageing and ageism.  She graduated with honours from the National Research University – Higher School of Economics (Moscow) with a Master’s degree in Sociology (Demography) in 2013 and three years was employed as a research fellow at the Center for Comprehensive Social Policy Studies, Institute for Social Policy. In 2015 she completed the programme at the International Institute for the Aging of the United Nations (INIA Malta) on the policy design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. She is also a member of the Expert group on the Active Ageing Index.

REGISTRATION

Register for this event

EVENT DETAILS

Jour Fixe
17/11/2020
12:00 - 13:00

VENUE

The event will take place online. Please register so that we can send you the link to the zoom meeting.