AGE AND EMPLOYMENT

This thematic plenary paper reviews the changing relationship between age and employment. The important role of the labour market in definin g the onset of 'old age' in both developed and underdeveloped societie s is emphasised at: the start and taken for granted in the subsequent analysis. The first and main section of the paper examines the changin g relationship between age and employment and three distinct phases ar e identified in the post-second world war period. The decline in the a ge of exit from gainful employment is of great importance in all advan ced industrial societies, The second section of the paper focuses on t he role of employers in determining the inclusion and exclusion of age ing workers - an issue that has only recently begun to interest resear chers in social gerontology. Age discrimination is high on this new re search agenda. Brief reference is made to two recent research projects , in Europe and Canada, which have undertaken case studies of employer practices. Despite the development of greater age awareness on the pa rt of employers, the continuation of disadvantage among older workers is emphasised and the 'gendered ageism' experienced by older women is also highlighted. The final key section of the paper argues far a deco nstruction of age at the workplace - the replacement of remedial actio n to combat age barriers with a preventive strategy aimed at avoiding their occurrence.