Um estudo sobre a percepção da discriminação etária por executivos de alto escalão: um estudo em empresas do setor farmacêutico

• Autor(a) principal: Miyazaki, Alessandra Helena Valente
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações do Mackenzie
• Texto Completo: http://dspace.mackenzie.br/handle/10899/23632
• topic: discriminação por idade; normas etárias; executivos de alto escalão; etarismo; CNPQ::CIENCIAS SOCIAIS APLICADAS::ADMINISTRACAO::ADMINISTRACAO DE EMPRESAS

Age discrimination is pervasive in contemporary society and that gains greater relevance as the Brazilian population turns older. The growing debate about the implications of the increase in social security costs suggests that older workers should stay in organizations longer. However, theorists argue that in Western society, negative stereotypes prevail over the older persons. In organizations, older workers are often associated with resistance to change, lack of energy and learning difficulty, and may be victims of age discrimination. This study sought to understand how top managers perceive (or not) the existence of age discrimination and how it guides their actions in relation to the older worker. Those subjects were chosen since academic studies indicate that senior executives can attenuate or accentuate age discrimination in the companies where they work. The field of study was delimited to companies in the pharmaceutical sector, due to the relevance of this industry in increasing the population longevity. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with top managers of various functions in different companies in the pharmaceutical sector. Data analysis and interpretation were performed following the recommendations of Miles and Huberman (1994), through a continuous process of collecting, condensing and exposing the data, and drawing and verifying conclusions. Different perceptions of top managers with respect to age discrimination (perceive age discrimination, do not perceive, do not consider the age issue as relevant) have been revealed, as well as several reactions to the theme: from top managers who perceive themselves as victims of Discrimination, to those who resign themselves and tolerate the phenomenon. Age stereotypes, formal and informal management practices, economic justifications and prototypes for certain functions and / or business models contribute to the formation and maintenance of age norms, often unfavorable to the older worker. It turned out that, in general, top managers are not very attentive to the fight against age discrimination, justifying their actions through ambiguous and contradictory arguments. As a social contribution, this paper draws attention to the need for an agenda to combat age discrimination in organizations.