preview

The Topic Of Age Discrimination

Good Essays

Introduction: The topic of age discrimination.

Age discrimination is prohibited by the United States government under the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967 which was put into place to protect workers over the age of forty. Under this acactin is illegal to show any form of discrimination towards workers over the age of forty, including unfavorable treatment in the hiring decisions made by employers. This essentially means that of two prospective employees who possess the same qualifications, an employer cannot choose the younger of the two simply based on their age and therefore potential "useful" years of service.

This essay seeks to examine this law and put forward arguments for and against the application of the law.

While it may seem fair to enforce laws against age discrimination against workers over the age of forty, there is the opposing argument where workers under the age of forty may also experience indirect discrimination when passed over for jobs as a result of lack of experience, however, under the ADEA, they are not protected and so face this kind of discrimination in the workplace with no recourse for redress.

In addition, much as workers over the age of forty are given recourse for action under the ADEA, as with many cases of discrimination, it can be difficult to prove disparate treatment or actual intent to discriminate, and there are many legitimate defenses to any lawsuits including the bona fide occupational qualification

Get Access