age discrimination employment essay

Discrimination against older worker occurs so often that Congress made an act to protect older workers from discrimination; this helps prevent increased unemployment for those older than 40 years of age. In 1967, congress made the Age Discrimination in Employment Act for the purpose of promoting the employment of older workers based on their ability instead of their age. This act applies to employment by public and private employers and by the unions and employment agencies, as well as foreign companies that have more than 20 workers located here in the United States. In 1967 the act covered employees between the ages of 40 and 65, the upper limit was extended 70 in 1978 and then the limit was removed completely later on. Now there is no longer an upper age limit, a 79 year old may be just as qualified as a 30 year old and should have the opportunity to prove her or his qualifications and obtain employment base on them. Another issue with this act is mandatory retirement; for the most part this has become a thing of the past. It should also be mentioned that people are living longer lives today and this act will become more and more critical for the working employees in this country. Title VII and the Age Discrimination act are similar in several ways, and both are enforced by the EEOC. But these two acts are different in two important ways; The Age Discrimination in Employment Act is more lenient than Title VII regarding the latitude afforded employer's reasons for adverse employment decisions (Alexander, Hartman 2001). The Age Discrimination in Employment act allows an employer to argue that a prima facie of age discrimination by identifying any factors other than age that has helped make the decision. The other difference is the Age Discrimination in Employment act only protects employees that are over 40 years of age from discrimination. So, a person under 40.
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (age discrimination within the work place) Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time! Women vs. Men in the Work ForceIn Mrs. Burrows’ seventh grade English class, I wrote a paper entitled Women vs. Men in the Work Force. I researched for weeks and weeks to get all of.Age Discrimination: Age Discrimination Within The Work Place Introduction Age discrimination in employment is a complex issue which impacts on many areas of Government policy and can have many implications for individuals themselves. Age discrimination can occur across the whole spectrum of employment and can affect both young and older people. It can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, as well as their chances of promotion or development when in work. Age can also be a factor in The EEOCFederal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions And Answers Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws I. What Are the Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination? · Title VII of the Civil Rights.employers deciding who should be selected for redundancy. Ageism seems to be more common in the workplace than racism or sexism. Although only about 20% Of all complaints filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are for age discrimination, settlements and jury awards are substantially higher in such cases than in those for race, sex or disability discrimination (Age Discrimination, 1999). Older people are accused of lacking energy and flexibility, while young people lack experience. Many people are The.
Image Credit: Jessica visiting elders Age discrimination is a large issue in the United States today. All ages can be discriminated against, teenagers are considered shifty and untrustworthy, elderly considered incapable, youth considered boisterous. It affects not only the people who are discriminated against, but also those who lose valuable relationships by judging them based on age. Picture this: a teenage boy, with a group of friends, walks laughing into a store. They scan the magazine section, walk by the candy, and then walk out without making any purchases. What is the first perception of this? It might be, and in many cases it is, that they stole something. Maybe the employee working behind the register will even go as far as to call the police on these boys, who didn’t steal anything, but were discriminated against simply because they were “unruly teenage boys”. This happens every day, all over America. We don’t tell the youth very much, because they “won’t understand”, they’re “too young”. We gawk when elderly people run marathons, or even participate in simple recreational activities such as volleyball or swimming, because they are “old”, and “incapable”. People who are discriminated against, no matter the reason, can be hurt by it. Age discrimination is the same as racial discrimination, or religious discrimination. They can be offended, because it isn’t something they can help. Like my example of the teenage boy above, he was simply having fun as he walked into the store. He had no intention of stealing anything or causing any trouble, he could even be an honor roll student and an athlete, and he was still discriminated against for being a teenager. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should explain to your three year old sister about your sexual education class, or sign your great uncle up for a marathon, but give them a little credit. They are capable of.
No matter how talented or experienced one employee may be over another, workplace history has demonstrated more than just a few times that the younger candidate is often the one to win the promotion. Age discrimination has become more than a minor inconvenience throughout the twentieth century; indeed, the issue has become such a hot potato within the workplace that laws have been forced into existence as a means by which to address the problem. In order to help protect those who stand to be singled out and let go because of the unfairness of ageism, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was designed with the older employee in mind. The issue at hand is that companies are not willing to look beyond their aging workforce, choosing instead to push them out of the technological loop rather than attempting to incorporate them as valuable assets. In our culture, the general perception is that with youth comes energy, imagination, and innovation. With age comes decreasing interest, lack of innovation and imagination, and a lessening of the quality of the person (Bennett, 2001, p. 410-411). Job seekers are reporting age discrimination beginning as early as the mid-thirties. How can this be addressed? What options are there for those of us considered old by hiring managers and companies? The biggest issue, and one which is hard to address, is the perception that older workers are not as capable or as qualified as younger counterparts. Age discrimination continues to damage our society, reducing both the incomes and the self-confidence of millions of Americans. A Harris survey, conducted in 1989, reported that one million workers aged 50 to 64 believed that they would be forced to retire before they were ready. Most of this group, anticipating an unwanted early retirement, said they would prefer to work for years longer. Another Harris survey, conducted in 1992.
Are corporations prepared for a continuing age diverse workforce? People are living longer and therefore are staying in the workforce for a longer period of time. Every corporation is aware of employment discrimination lawsuits increasing on a yearly basis. However, one type of lawsuit that employers often overlook is the case of age discrimination.The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), implemented in 1967, protects most workers 40 and older from discrimination in recruitment, hiring, firing, salary, retirement and other practices. Investigating charges and trying to work out solutions is done through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Among all the various discrimination cases, age discrimination can be the most potentially damaging to a corporation. Age discrimination can be obvious such as hiring a younger, inexperienced, more attractive person for a position than an older person with a strong background in a similar position. Or it can be subtle. Transferring an older person when he reaches 60 to a less demanding, unrewarding job, filling in the vacancy with a younger employee, or inheriting a new boss that creates a miserable environment for the administrative assistant so she will quit. In the United States there has been little protest because of the long-held attitudes and assumptions that it is only “normal” for older professionals to make room for the younger, upcoming workers. Unfortunately, in the workforce there have been many perceptions attached to aging that create a negative environment. Adaptability, judgment, health, attitude and productivity are among the few. And, older workers become less competent and are not worth training for new jobs or positions because they won’t be with the company that long. An employee suing in California for discrimination under the civil rights category (Title VII) can recover past and.
Only available on StudyMode Read full document → Save to my library Age Discrimination in the Workplace Age discrimination in employment is a complex issue which impacts many areas of Government policy and has many implications for individuals themselves. Age discrimination can occur across all spectrums of employment and can affect both young and old. Age discrimination can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, and potentially their chances of promotion or development within the workplace. Age can also be a factor when employers are deciding who should be selected during a workforce downsize or redundancy of work due to a mergers and acquisitions. Age seems to be more of a common issue in the workplace than racism or sexism. Approximately 20% of all complaints filed with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are for age discrimination, settlements and jury awards are substantially higher in age related cases than in those for race, sex or disability discrimination (Age Discrimination, 1999). Generally older people are accused of lacking energy and flexibility, while young people lack experience and want it all. Many people do not get the opportunity to show whether or not they have what it takes because of their age. These people are being discriminated against and therefore, robbed of their employment opportunities. Definition of Age Discrimination Direct and indirect forms of age discrimination exist in employment. Obvious forms of discrimination are where people hold strong, stereotypical views about a person’s capabilities to do a job or to be developed because of their age. An example is an employer could regard all 23 year olds as immature and incapable of managing older workers, even if they have the right experience and qualifications for the job. On the other hand, an employer could consider those over 50 unable to learn new.