9th October 2023
A new study initiated by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson showed that three-quarters of Lithuanians believe that discrimination against older people is prevalent or partially prevalent Lithuania. Quite a large number of older survey participants said that they had personally encountered or witnessed age-based discrimination in their work relationships.
Older People Feel Discrimination More Often
According to the data of a representative survey conducted in September of 2023, 24% of the country’s population are convinced that discrimination against older people is very prevalent in Lithuania. 51 percent believe that it is partially prevalent.
When the respondents were asked whether they had experienced age-based discrimination in the workplace or when looking for a job in the last two years, the responses varied depending on their age. 6% of people under the age of 29 felt discriminated and 9% of them claimed to have witnessed discrimination.
Respondents in their 60s are three times more likely to encounter such violations of equal opportunities. 21% of people in the 50-59 age group said they had encountered age-based discrimination, 21% of them also said they had witnessed such discrimination.
Respondents aged 30-39 felt the least discriminated in the field of work relations. Positive answers were given by 2% of survey participants of this age group.
The survey also revealed greater discrimination of people who are 70 years and older in the field of health care. Almost a quarter (24%) respondents of this group said they had experienced it (in total, 9.4% of the entire population of Lithuania said they had encountered such discrimination). It is also worth noting that 21% of people aged 50-59 said that they had witnessed discrimination in the field of health care.
A Sign for Employers
The absolute majority of Lithuanian residents would be satisfied if their colleague, with whom they communicate on a daily basis, was a much older person. This answer was given by 69% of those interviewed answered. 23% of respondents said they would feel neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. These numbers indicate that 9 out of 10 of the country’s population view older colleagues either positively or do not find age important at all. The previous Eurobarometer data also show that the age of colleagues is not considered a negative thing.
Lithuanians also appreciate the contribution of people aged 55 and older. 62% of respondents believe that these people contribute a lot to the welfare of society as people in the workforce.
However, when thinking whether age can have a negative impact on the labor market, the survey participants see a certain risks. For example, when asked whether a candidate’s age in an employee selection, if he/she is considered too young or too old, can be considered a disadvantage, 60% answered “Yes / rather yes”.
Analysis of population attitudes shows that older people may feel unstable and insecure in the labor market. Respondents were also asked how important various reasons might be for workers aged 55 and over to stop working. 46% said that partly or very important reason is that workplaces are not adapted to this group of employees. 67% of the respondents stated that a partly or very important reason for stopping work is the increasing probability that the employer will not want to invest in training for the skills or qualification improvement of older people. 56% respondents are convinced that the fact that older workers are not positively evaluated by employers may be partly or very important.
Equal opportunities ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė emphasizes that employers should pay attention to these research results: “It is clear that discrimination can be experienced by people of all ages, but society sees the risk that the employer’s actions or inaction, can pose serious challenges to older employees. The management of companies and institutions, human resources specialists should evaluate the internal climate of the workplace and take measures to make the organizational environment respectful and inclusive of people of different ages, paying attention to the experiences of older people. It is important that everyone would have opportunities to improve their qualifications and feel valued at work.”
About the Survey
This representative survey was conducted by the public opinion and market research center “Vilmorus” on behalf of the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. Over a thousand respondents from 25 cities and more than 40 villages took part in the research.
Survey period – 14-23 September, 2023.
The margin of error is up to 3.1 %.