Adapting the workplace age discrimination scale into Turkish: Cultural dimensions and the lived experience of age bias at work

This study adapts the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale (WADS) to the Turkish context and examines how demographic and job-related factors shape perceived workplace age discrimination (WAD). Using survey data from 896 employees, we confirm the scale’s reliability and validity in Turkish workplaces. Findings indicate that both younger and older employees report discrimination, with higher levels among women and single individuals, reflecting Türkiye’s gender norms and marital expectations. Education, job position, tenure, job satisfaction, perceived respect, and experiences of being ignored significantly predict perceived WAD. Crucially, while higher job satisfaction and perceived respect are associated with lower discrimination, elevated educational backgrounds and higher organizational positions paradoxically predict greater levels of perceived WAD, highlighting enhanced cognitive sensitivity toward structural biases. Grounded in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, we interpret these results through Türkiye’s high power distance, collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance, showing how cultural values shape intergenerational dynamics. This study contributes to the sociocultural discourse on aging and offers practical insights for developing inclusive occupational social work practices that promote intergenerational equity.