Stereotype threat and older worker’s attitudes: a mediation model

Abstract

Purpose

Taking a social identity approach, the purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which age-based stereotype threat mediates the relationships between older workers’ negative age-based metastereotypes and two negative work attitudes: organizational disidentification and work disengagement.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-wave cross-sectional design was adopted to collect data from 423 blue-collar older workers of the Portuguese manufacturing sector. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediation model.

Findings

The analyses show that age-based stereotype threat partially mediates the relationship between negative age-based metastereotypes and negative work attitudes. Moreover, findings suggest that older workers respond to negative age-based metastereotypes through threat reactions, and undesirable work attitudes.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by showing the importance of negative age-based metastereotypes and age-based stereotype threat in workplace dynamics. It also provides evidence that age threats impair the relationship older workers keep with their organization and their work.

Citation

Oliveira, E. and Cabral Cardoso, C. (2018), "Stereotype threat and older worker’s attitudes: a mediation model", Personnel Review, Vol. 47 No. 1, pp. 187-205. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2016-0306