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Age Diversity at Work

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

Synonyms

Age differences; Age heterogeneity; Multigenerational workforce

Definition

In general, diversity is defined as difference, or a composition of, different elements. Age diversity at work, therefore, refers to differences in age distribution among employees and is used to describe composition of the organization as a whole or composition of workgroups within an organization.

Diversity is often described using social identity theory (Tajfel 1974) and social-categorization theory (Turner 1985). These frameworks explain how people categorize themselves and others according to prominent demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race, gender), aligning themselves with similar others and distinguishing themselves from dissimilar others.

In the age and work literature, age groups are usually discussed in terms of “younger,” “middle-aged,” and “older” workers. Categorization is not dependent on chronological age alone; numerous contextual factors influence the designation of an employee...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Portland State University, 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751, USA

    Amy C. Pytlovany

  2. Department of Psychology, Portland State College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Portland State University, 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751, USA

    Donald M. Truxillo

Authors
  1. Amy C. Pytlovany
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  2. Donald M. Truxillo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy C. Pytlovany .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Pytlovany, A.C., Truxillo, D.M. (2017). Age Diversity at Work. In: Pachana, N.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_21

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