title: Negative stereotyping of older nurses despite contact and mere exposure: the case of nursing recruiters in Western australia.
abstract: Ageist attitudes have been identified across different industries. The nursing profession has a high proportion of older workers. As this facilitates regular contact with, as well as exposure to, older nurses, it may be expected to show less ageism. This study investigated 163 Western Australian nursing recruiters' attitudes toward older nurses. Results showed clear evidence of both negative and positive stereotyping of older nurses. Nursing recruiters indicated that they would be more than likely to hire older nurses and that age was less relevant in making hiring decisions. These findings suggest that enhancing the employability of older workers does not necessarily change ageist attitudes. This is relevant to policy formulation, attitude change interventions, and the well-being of older workers.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Social Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia. e.gringart@ecu.edu.au
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gringart
authors.forename: Bronwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Helmes
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jansz
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monterosso
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D063506:Ageism / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010560:Personnel Selection; D012929:Psychological Distance; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014904:Western Australia