Nam Vu
Professor K. Tarquinio
PSYCH – 092
5/10/2015
Extra Credit
Ageism, or age discrimination, is a problem that is extremely pervasive in the workplace, spanning from retail to even corporate environments. Ageism has existed for a long time and is still affecting businesses today. Even though there are laws set up to prevent this from happening, most businesses are smart enough to find loopholes in order to continually practice age discrimination. One huge reason for this is that many businesses know they can pay younger and less-experienced workers less. However, this is not to say that older people do not experience age discrimination as well. The government can pass whatever law it wants to attempt to forbid such acts, it lies in the nature of human beings to be ageist, per se.
…show more content…
Some things that we value are youth, wellness, beauty, and idealism. An aging human is all but these listed qualities. In more recent years, fitness and good health are two themes that have been floating around in American culture. “While elders are still esteemed in many countries, American culture seems to have lost this perspective. Ageism has become ingrained in American culture as it is passed on to children from parents who hold ageist stereotypes” (Jules). Most people are under the impression that aging adds to the coming of poor health, the opposite of what our population views as proper.
The labor market is one that is especially notorious for the perpetuation of ageism. Many employers are guilty of refusing to hire and even firing workers because they are too old, despite them being able to sufficiently perform assigned tasks. For this reason, ageism is not and will never be justified, which is why it is
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act governs discrimination in the work place for people age forty and older. “Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to any term, condition, or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments, and training” (EEOC, 2008). Because of companies wanting employees that were going to have longevity from their starting point, or wanting to move the younger people up the corporate ladder, something had to be done to protect the rights of the older generation.
The American population is aging as health care improves, the older generation is living longer and are still working or just getting into the workplace. One of the biggest issues that these older individuals face is age discrimination within the workplace. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 forbids employment discrimination on the basis of age. Through a detailed explanation and history of the law, this paper will examine how ADEA affects the professionals in the workplace, human resources, managers, and employers in the workplace. It will further examine how the employee is affected by ADEA. This includes what their rights are and how they can make a complaint. Lastly, a legal case will be examined and evaluated so
Ageism is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person’s age. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 7 million people were unemployed mid-year 2017, with 1.2 million of those people being fifty-five years of age or older. This older population plus the new graduates entering the workforce place the unemployment rate at about 4.4 percent.
Does aging reduce the work effectiveness of older workers? In this fast-growing economy, many people believe that older workers should stop working at a certain age because younger workers will keep up with rapid economic development better. Lois Lowry describes this discrimination in The Giver when citizens get older, they give up their jobs, and are treated as children instead of knowledgeable individuals to maintain the sameness in the community. Similarly, because of ageism, modern society falsely limits the opportunities of the group of older workers. The misunderstood perception in the present can be against themselves in the future because most people, who are lucky to live long, will join the group of
There has always been some “ism” that social movements have fought against throughout America’s history, and the issue of “ageism” was finally addressed in The Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Ageism can be defined as prejudiced beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors pertaining to older adults. To understand the ADEA fully, a brief history of age discrimination is useful to comprehend the Structural Level of this bill. Discrimination based on age was not a large issue until the beginning of the 20th century, mainly because it was a tacit form of discrimination. For the most part, people worked until they were at an age where they did not feel useful, and for the rest of their lives their families would take care of them. Industrialization
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 was created to “promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age; to prohibit arbitrary age discrimination in employment; and to help employers and workers find ways of meeting problems arising from the impact of age on employment” (as cited in Rothenberg & Gardner, 2011, p. 10). The act was intended to help the older workforce stay employed and prevent employers from discriminating against employee because of his/ her age. Also, a study showed that “between the years of 2000 and 2010, the number of employees over the age of fifty-five increased by over 11 million and the number of age discrimination cases reported to the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also increased by over 8,000 during those same years” (Tauro, 2014, p. 256). Therefore, these statics prove that
The Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA) was passed over 40 years ago (in 1967) prohibiting the denial of employment, forced retirement, hours of employment, compensation, or termination of individuals due to the person's age, and it was meant to encourage the employment of older individuals based on their abilities and invaluable experience. However, age discrimination and ageism still permeate American society and the workplace.”(Tate)
Age discrimination has some special aspects that make it different from other types of employment discrimination. My research will discuss this more in detail. Included will be several court decisions of great importance, the history of the Age Discrimination Statute, and other important data in regards to Age discrimination. Also there is information included on how to file a complaint with the
In conclusion, ageism in today’s times is a real form of discrimination and needs to be fixed. An individual’s skills and capabilities should be based on a personal level, not their age. The elderly and the young need just as much job opportunities as the middle-aged individuals living in the
The effect of age discrimination which was debatable, has now become more controversial. The substantial influence of this discrimination has sparked the controversy over the potential impact of this trend in recent years. It can be said that being bias based on age is unfair. This will elaborate both positive and negative effect of age discrimination and will thus lead to the logical conclusion.
Age discrimination has long been present in society due to the rapid development happening around us. According to Farney, Aday & Breault (2006), this era of ageism is defined as "discrimination against any age group", but it often is pointed to age discrimination among adults which is slowly causing a negative effect for them in the workplace. In the workplace, adults with more experience and longer history behind them are targets of this ageism belief that companies and employers tend to have (Farney, Aday, & Breault, 2006). They are shunned and even fired in favor of accepting new and fresh faces for the company they have worked for. Unknown to most companies and employers, this notion of favoring the young and banishing the old can
Human Resources is in place to protect the employees as well as the employer. It is put in place to keeep information regarding emplotees private. In my opinion my first choice is "Age Discrimination'. I think that just because a person reaches a certin age they have to be put in a catigory. I think that if they are able to preform the job riquirements as needed with no prblems they they deserve a opportunity as any younger abel body person. My next pick is "Equal Pay". There are some places and types of employment that men are paid more money than a woman and they are doinfg the exact same job. Again if the applicant meets the requirements then everyone deserves a shot a the job. There is a complex betwwen the sexes when a woman has
In my opinion I believe that companies do it every day just because a person is an elder they are viewed as weak, slow and unable but they have the skill that the younger generation needs. I can see a company turning down a younger individual in a high spot for an individual with know-how. The young need to begin at the foundation and work their way up the ladder just like in the Rail Road. My father started when he was young and he started in a lower position and worked his way to his place in my eyes the elder with more experience earn their places in the job world. I don’t like to be the one to say it but you have produced, and begin little before you can go large and get all you want. An older
Age discrimination is mainly toward the older (60 +) and younger (14-17) people in their early teens. Many Americans have been fired, forced into retirement, or turned down from a job due to their age. Older age employers are discriminated against in the workplace because of appearance and their ability to do the work required is believed to slow. Employers are more likely to hire a person who is much younger and more attractive than an elderly person. Also, employers want to employ people who are able to do the work required. This is another way in which older people are discriminated against even though they may be very capable to do the job. “The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities
Aging! We all do it every day, but have you ever thought how it is going to affect the rest of your life or more importantly your career? Aging isn’t something that we get to choose if we participate in, however working is, and aging may affect that choice. Right now, I want you to think about the age of sixty-five. What words pop into your head when you think of someone sixty-five? I’d imagine some of the words you thought of were retired, old, fragile, slow, as well as many others. Those words right there all help to explain the many concerns that one’s employer may have when hiring someone that is of the older population. When we think of the older population in the work force we don’t necessarily think of positive things, instead we think of things. When we think of this population in the workforce we generally think of lower production rates and higher costs. These can create issues among the older population, as employers must consider all the possibilities when hiring someone. We know that more people in the older population are continuing to try to continue their careers, but why? How hard is it for them to continue? What changes have made it easier? How are the younger and middle aged populations perceiving them in the work place? This are only some of the many question surrounding the increase of aged workers.