Toward a broader view of age discrimination in employment-related decisions: A joint consideration of organizational factors and cognitive processes

We propose that organizational factors (structure, values, and technology) influence raters' decision making processes which, in turn, can result in a ge discrimination in employment-related decisions. Specifically, organizati onal factors may influence (a) the extent to which jobs become age-typed, ( b) the extent to which a worker's age is salient and activates age-associat ed job stereotypes and (c) the extent to which raters are able to base thei r employment-related decisions on the perceived match between job and worke r information. The practical and theoretical implications of our approach a re discussed and directions for future research are offered.