Question

A 55-year-old woman sees a social worker at a community service agency following the death of her husband. The client states that she never worked during the time she was with her husband, but rather focused on her kids. She says that she has filled out many applications for jobs, but has not had any interviews. After speaking more with the client, the social worker determines that the client has appropriate career goals that are commensurate with her skills. The MOST likely explanation for the client's difficulty is:

Score: 0 of 1
A. The client's physical capabilities.
B. Possible age discrimination.
C. Her bereavement is acting as a barrier to employment.
D. The client's lack of employment history.

Answer 1

The most likely reason for the woman's difficulty in finding employment is possible age discrimination, despite her having appropriate skills and career goals.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the case of the 55-year-old woman struggling to find employment after the death of her husband, the most likely explanation for her difficulty in obtaining job interviews is possible age discrimination. Despite having suitable career goals and appropriate skills, ageism can be a barrier to employment as it involves stereotyping and discrimination against the elderly. Employers may have biases against hiring older applicants due to misconceptions about their abilities and the assumption that they might not be up to date with modern technologies or workplace practices. Secondly, her lack of recent employment history could also be a factor, although this seems less likely since she appears to have skills matching her career goals. Lastly, while bereavement could potentially affect job search efforts, it does not directly explain the lack of interview opportunities.