Millennials Helping Their Parents Confront Ageism

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Not all Millennials live in their parents’ basement playing video games. Some are employed and stable, and their parents are leaning on them to navigate the current job climate. Smith School senior associate dean of learning Joyce Russell says her students often ask her how to help their parents.

"I've had (students) tell me, 'OK, so I'm trying to educate my parents on negotiating their offer,' whether that's the pay, or just job scope, responsibility, time off," Russell says in a recent Atlantic article. She says generational differences often create tensions among the young and old. A recent YouGov poll, for example, shows a strong divide among Brexit voters — with younger Brits opting for "stay" and their parents and grandparents opting for "leave."

Russell says one of the biggest obstacles that many over-50 job seekers must confront is ageism. "I think it's coming really from an old belief that people are going to be retiring soon, so why would you hire somebody who’s over 50 if you can hire someone who's 40?" Russell says. "But that's really a fallacy, because there's research that shows older workers are highly dependable. They don't have as much absenteeism and sick days, and (they have) stronger loyalty." Read more in The Atlantic...