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Joe Biden’s age and mental capacity are yet again the subject of debate after he was described by special counsel Robert Hur as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
The line was included in a report detailing an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
The snub of the President’s age has re-fueled the criticism from Republicans about Biden’s age and mental acuity. This view is held by many voters. 89% of Republicans believe Biden is too old to be president, as do 69% of Democrats.
If successfully re-elected, Biden will be 82 when he begins his second term and 86 at its conclusion. At 81, he is already the oldest U.S. president to hold office.
The criticism of Biden’s mental ability is not without cause. In the past week alone, there have been three mix-ups regarding political leaders of other nations. He confused current French President Emmanuel Macron and recent German Chancellor Angela with their counterparts from the 1980s and 1990s - François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl, respectively. On Thursday, he stated Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was the president of Mexico, not Egypt.
However, much of the language used by critics of Biden arguably highlights a broader problem of ageism in America. Rather than focusing solely on his mental ability, much of the narrative also focuses on his age. Hur’s comment, therefore, as is much of the criticism against Biden, is ageist.
Ageism, defined by the American Psychology Association as “discrimination against older people because of negative and inaccurate stereotypes,” is rife in America. We are seeing an example play out on the biggest platform possible. Especially given the high proportion of voters who share the view that Biden is too old to be President, HR leaders must consider the prevalence of ageism in their own workforce.
Older workers are growing in numbers
According to research from The Pew Research Center, nearly one-fifth of people over the age of 65 in America are still working. That number has nearly doubled in the past 35 years. The 75-and-older category of workers is the fastest-growing age group in the workforce.
Perceptions that so-called ‘old’ employees – reach a certain age where their mental ability deteriorates, be that 65, 75, or another arbitrary figure, are entirely baseless. Mental deterioration can occur at any age.
Ageism is widespread in the U.S. workforce, with over 40% of workers aged 40 and above having experienced ageism at work, and 65% believe workers face ageism in today’s workplace. Highly talented workers are being overlooked for tasks, projects, and jobs, simply because they are deemed too old.
Whether or not they have the skills or capabilities is another debate entirely. Biden, in an impromptu press conference, did well not to rise to the ‘elderly’ part of Hur’s criticism, focusing on the comment on his mental faculties. “My memory is fine,” he retorted. “I know what the hell I'm doing.”
Discriminating against older workers based on age, whether it is an individual contributor or President of the U.S., is unacceptable.
As well as employees suffering the pain, anxiety, and other negative effects of ageism on physical and mental health, employers will also pay the price for allowing age discrimination to go unchecked. Firstly, they will lose out on highly skilled labor who will choose to retire or join a workplace that does not discriminate based on the number of rotations around the Sun they have lived through.
Secondly, the impact of ageism comes at a huge financial cost. A report from the World Health Organization, UN Population Fund, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the UN Human Rights Office found that ageism against those over 60 costs over $63 billion a year.
Employers must get a handle on the issue of ageism in America. Even if you attribute Biden’s slip-ups to his age, rather than the stress of holding what most consider to be the most powerful position on Earth or any other factor, why should this deter him from continuing to work?
Focusing on someone’s age, rather than their ability to do their work, is nothing else but discrimination. HR leaders should be wary that with such a high-profile example going largely unchecked in the U.S., their employees will likely require education on spotting and eliminating age-based bias.
