ABSTRACT
A substantial number of college graduates are underemployed, working in jobs beneath their educational credentials. In this chapter, we argue that our perspective on the issue of underemployment is largely driven by frames, the organizing ideas that give meaning to our experience. Using frame analysis, we provide a short history of ageism in the United States, including compassionate ageism, the generational equity frame, and the generational interdependence frame. These frames provide competing ways to identify relevant evidence, identify key issues, propose questions, and guide our actions. We then return to the question of underemployment among the college-educated using each of these frames.
