Abstract:

This study explores what subjective age means in Chinese workplace teams and how it may relate to age-discrimination climate. Prior work often measures subjective age with a four-item approach, yet its dimensionality and cultural fit remain debated. Using a qualitative design and constructivist grounded theory, the study conducted semi-structured, one-to-one interviews (60–90 minutes) with eight participants from two administrative teams in one Chinese university (one manager, seven staff). Most participants could state a specific felt age and explain why, suggesting alignment with self-perceived age. However, the main cues differed from common Western measures. High-frequency cues focused on tenure-graded competence expectations, thorough thinking, energy and recovery capacity, and eldercare and parenting responsibilities, while appearance and interests were less central. These findings suggest the need to unpack cue-specific logic before using subjective age to explain age-discrimination processes.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Organisational Psychology

Keywords: Employee Health, Safety and Well Being at Work    ;Employee Attitudes and Motivations   ;Cognition in organisations   

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Ms. Xingyu Chen