Colin Duncan

Ageism and Employment: Controversies, Ambiguities and Younger People's Perceptions

This paper traces the emergence and evolution of the concept of ageism with respect to employment matters in the UK, and challenges some features of the emerging concept as defective and undermining of efforts to eradicate age discrimination in employment. Also revealed is some loosening in recent years of the association of the term ‘ageism’ with older employees. This latter observation informed the focus of our empirical work, which examined the views of 460 Business Studies students concerning age and employment. A significant proportion had experienced ageism directly in employment, and a large majority favoured the introduction of legislative protection against age discrimination, with blanket coverage irrespective of age. Though negative stereotypes regarding older workers were by no means uncommon among the sample, little firm evidence emerged of intergenerational tensions or resentment towards older people. The concluding section considers the policy implications of our findings, including the relative merits of weighting policy responses towards older employees. It is argued that initiatives restricted in this way, and further constrained by commercial imperatives and macro-economic objectives, are likely to prove divisive and self-defeating as a means of combating ageism.

A new 'total' activin B enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Background and objective  There are currently no sensitive and specific assays for activin B that could be utilized to study human biological fluids. The aim of this project was to develop and validate a ‘total’ activin B ELISA for use with human biological fluids and establish concentrations of activin B in the circulation and fluids from the reproductive organs.

Ageism, early exit, and British trade unions

Union responses to ageism and the early exit phenomenon are here examined, based on documentation received from some 40 British unions. Our results show that though age discrimination is now accorded some prominence in union agendas, policies towards exit are only partially informed by current conceptions of ageism.

The Pancreas Is Altered by In Utero Androgen Exposure: Implications for Clinical Conditions Such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Using an ovine model of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), (pregnant ewes injected with testosterone propionate (TP) (100 mg twice weekly) from day (d)62 to d102 of d147 gestation (maternal injection – MI-TP)), we previously reported female offspring with normal glucose tolerance but hyperinsulinemia. We therefore examined insulin signalling and pancreatic morphology in these offspring using quantitative (Q) RT-PCR and western blotting. In addition the fetal pancreatic responses to MI-TP, and androgenic and estrogenic contributions to such responses (direct fetal injection (FI) of TP (20 mg) or diethylstilbestrol (DES) (20 mg) at d62 and d82 gestation) were assessed at d90 gestation. Fetal plasma was assayed for insulin, testosterone and estradiol, pancreatic tissue was cultured, and expression of key β-cell developmental genes was assessed by QRT-PCR. In female d62MI-TP offspring insulin signalling was unaltered but there was a pancreatic phenotype with increased numbers of β-cells (P<0.05). The fetal pancreas expressed androgen receptors in islets and genes involved in β-cell development and function (PDX1, IGF1R, INSR and INS) were up-regulated in female fetuses after d62MI-TP treatment (P<0.05–0.01). In addition the d62MI-TP pancreas showed increased insulin secretion under euglycaemic conditions (P<0.05) in vitro. The same effects were not seen in the male fetal pancreas or when MI-TP was started at d30, before the male programming window. As d62MI-TP increased both fetal plasma testosterone (P<0.05) and estradiol concentrations (P<0.05) we assessed the relative contribution of androgens and estrogens. FI-TP (commencing d62) (not FI-DES treatment) caused elevated basal insulin secretion in vitro and the genes altered by d62MI-TP treatment were similarly altered by FI-TP but not FI-DES. In conclusion, androgen over-exposure alters fetal pancreatic development and β-cell numbers in offspring. These data suggest that that there may be a primary pancreatic phenotype in models of PCOS, and that there may be a distinct male and female pancreas.

The dangers and limitations of equality agendas as means for tackling old-age prejudice

ABSTRACT This paper presents a critique of both the concept of age equality and of the limited scope it offers as a means for challenging old-age prejudice. The equality constructs that feature in anti-ageism initiatives and in current discourses on intergenerational equity have proved susceptible to political and ideological manipulation, which has led to the illegitimate dissociation of ageism from older age and promoted damaging notions of age equivalence. The consequence has been that old-age prejudice has been de-prioritised, and older people have been de-legitimised socially and as a welfare constituency. The corrective is best sought outside the confines of age equality frameworks, although legal remedies may play a useful role if human dignity is incorporated as an equality criterion. This paper also assesses other approaches to tackling old-age prejudice that avoid the constraints of equality constructs and engage more firmly with its roots. The notion of the ‘third age’ with new social roles merits reconsideration as an affordable alternative to current policies of work obligation and pension retrenchment. Radical interventions in the labour market in favour of older people may also be needed. Age activism and advocacy will increasingly influence policy on prejudice and well-being in older age, but changed emphases are needed, as from defensive strategies and the ideologies of generational interdependence and solidarity, towards the promotion of organisational, financial and social autonomy in older age.

Something for nothing

Against a background of partial, and often contradictory, information, this article explores the attitudes of over 1,000 employees in one firm in the financial services sector towards various issues related to retirement and pensions. The respondents regarded the existence of occupational pension schemes as having a major influence on their job searches. Among the various reasons for being members of the employer’s scheme, the principal ones were associated with the perceived qualities of the scheme itself, the zero charge for employees, and opportunities for planning for the future. Levels of ignorance about certain features of the scheme were discernible, and differentiated patterns of response among groupings of employees suggested that employees bring to pensions matters diverse expectations and awareness. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for employee recruitment, motivation and retention.

The Impact of Two Decades of Reform of British Public Sector Industrial Relations

The results of some 20 years of industrial relations reform in the British public sector are assessed, along with current trade union responses and future prospects for industrial relations in the public services. The author pinpoints limitations in the perspectives that have driven reform processes in labour practices, and in the outcomes achieved, and concludes that the process of convergence that is often assumed to have occurred between public and private sector industrial relations arrangements may be more apparent than real.

“Thatcher’s children”, pensions and retirement ‐ Some survey evidence

Despite major changes in the UK pensions scene, including policy initiatives by successive governments, very little is known about people’s attitudes towards many pensions related issues. Reports the results of a survey of undergraduates, born on the threshold of the Thatcher era, who are themselves about to embark upon influential careers. The findings relate both to knowledge of pension and retirement details, and the students’ own pension and career plans. In the spirit of the 1980s, the students, especially the males, attached some importance to “individual choice” in pension arrangements. The need for a role for the State was acknowledged, whilst occupational pensions were not rated highly in employment choice terms. The overall pattern of responses allows for some tentative evaluation of recent Labour Government proposals and speculation of future developments in the field of provision for retirement.

Industrial relations codes of practice: the 1999 Age Discrimination Code in context

Considers a neglected aspect of UK industrial relations. The effectiveness of earlier codes of practice is assessed according to various criteria: a thorough creative process; a high degree of consensus; and supporting institutions. These criteria are then used to gauge the potential impact of the 1999 Code on Age Diversity. The code’s non‐statutory basis is considered to have drawbacks which outweigh the merits. In consequence, it is contended that the code’s impact is likely to be small.

Automatic dissociation between microvasculature and larger vessels for ultrasound contrast imaging

Microvasculature density (MVD) provides an established biomarker for the prognosis of numerous diseases associated with abnormal microvascular networks. The accurate, robust and timely assessment of MVD changes facilitates disease detection, treatment monitoring and patient stratification. Nevertheless, the current gold standard (PET) for MVD quantification is not used in clinical practice due to its high costs and potential health hazards. Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) imaging can provide an attractive alternative. However, the limited dissociation between larger vessels and microvasculature in the imaged tissues limits the accuracy and robustness of CEUS. This study proposed a novel, and fully automatic technique that dissociates larger vessels from microvasculature in CEUS imaged tissues. The ovine Corpus Luteum (CL) was used as an in vivo model for the development and assessment of the proposed technique.