Age Discrimination
What is age discrimination in employment? Simply stated, it is the act of deliberately discriminating against a person based solely on his or her age (Business & Legal Reports, 2002). It includes refusing to hire or promote older workers, coercing them to retire, targeting them when layoffs occur, cutting back, or restricting their employee benefits. It also includes limiting their training opportunities, job responsibilities, and duties. This deliberate discrimination may be blatant or subtle, but in either case, it is against the law (AARP.org, 2003).
The culture in the United States, unlike other cultures, values the youth. It perceives youth as having "energy, imagination, and innovation." The culture considers older employees as being less capable of performing their duties and even if they can perform their duties, the cost of retaining them becomes a "burden" on the organization (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2001).
Statistically though, older employees are of value to the organization. Older workers bring more experience to the workplace. They are more reliable; experience less absenteeism, and are harder working then younger workers (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2001, pg. 411). Once displaced or unemployed, older workers are limited to employment opportunities. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 55 percent, of nearly 1 million workers 55 and over, displaced from their jobs between the years of 1997 and 1999, were employed by the year 2000 (AARP Public Policies, 2001).
What legislation deals with age discrimination?
There are many laws that protect against discrimination in the workplace, only one specifically protects against age discrimination, the Age Discrimination in Employmen ...