Why Me?

Another important discrimination practice in health and social care is the age of an individual. Age discrimination happens when someone is treated unfavourably because of their age, without justification, or is harassed and victimised because of their age. Age discrimination also happens when someone is denied something because of their age, for example there were controversies regarding giving older people drugs because of their shorter life expectancy, due to their age. Some people have argued that the money would be better spent on drugs for younger people. This is a massive discrimination against older people. An example of age discrimination in a health and social setting is that someone might not be provided a certain service because of their old age for example if they apply for a job as a nurse they might refuse their application because of their old age. This is a type of discrimination in a lot jobs but this was an example from a health and social service.

Many employers view the old employers especially the baby boomers as too rigid, failing health, lack of enthusiasm, afraid of new technologies, do not want to learn new training (stuck in old ways), and expensive to keep. Many aged people are viewing job advertisements with pictures of younger employees. In addition, the aged are facing high cost of medical insurance and healthcare. With the obstacles in the job market, the aged could possibly experience social isolationism, low self-esteem, and financial hardship.

Age discrimination in the workforce is a major issue in Today’s society. Although this is hardly ever mentioned, it is a concern that affects the aging population and their work performance. Those who are of old age are often not given a chance and looked down on. They are thought of as being mentally and physically in decline, less adaptable, unwilling to be trained, and costly to the organization. The elderly are considered “slow workers.” They are often forced to work extra hard to prove to their employer, they are capable of working as effective as the young. Defining someone’s work performance according to their age is against the law. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) addresses discrimination against the older population. This Act was passed by congress to ensure people of age 40 and older are given fair judgment in the workforce; however, the maturing population of baby boomers has led to an increasing number of elderly workers. This has cause age discrimination to rise. It is important that we review and analyze age discrimination has a political issues that must be changed. Although ADEA sets out to help the aging population, changes should be made within the employer. In order to seek change, one must first understand ADEA and how it promotes fair treatment for the elderly.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) protects against age discrimination under Title VII. Specifically, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which was passed in 1967 by congress, covers discrimination against employees who are 40 or more years old. This topic should be a big concern for employers, since the number of elderly workers is increasing as the baby boomer population matures. It is estimated that as many as twenty-percent of the claims filed with the EEOC are for age discrimination. Also, age discrimination settlements can be considerably higher than typical discrimination cases. Upon research, the average award amount between 1955 and 1988 was $219,000.

The United States workforce is aging and as health care improves the older population is living longer. Because of this older individual are staying the job market longer, an employer or human resource person should keep this in mind and possibly review the office procedures and hiring processes. Age discrimination claims will continue to increase as the workforce continues to grow older. Human resources, managers, and employers must be proactive versus reactive to have policies in place in the event of a suit happens. There is more to discrimination than what is on the surface of things. According to Walsh, in his book Employment Law for Human Resource Practice, 4th Edition, “discrimination can be further separated into four legal theories, these being: disparate treatment, adverse impact, failure to reasonably accommodate, and retaliation” (Walsh, 2013). One of the main reasons for disparate treatment is that employers must be very careful not to base their decisions about their employees on a protected class’s characteristics. So what exactly is the key issue in disparate treatment? According to Walsh, discriminatory intent is the key. Whether or not the motive was intentional the policy maker created policy that was in violation of the ADEA.

Employment Act of 1967 which was put into place to protect workers over the age of forty. Under this

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

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

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.

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.

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)

“Sketchy evidence that older workers experience discrimination because of their age is easy to find. The popular press includes many stories of individual employees who have been replaced by younger workers, sometimes just before they become eligible for lucrative retirement benefits. Older workers (in the past) were forced by mandatory

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

A vital labor and employment law is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, also known as the ADEA. The law was enacted in 1967 and later amended. On the Unites States EEOC website, they write, “ADEA protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age.” (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2008) The law is meant to safeguard workers from being discriminated against due to their age. The law is especially important now with workers staying on the job longer and retirees returning to the workforce after retirement. The EEOC states, “The law applies to employers with 20 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and labor organizations, as well as to the federal government.” (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2008) Age discrimination can come in many forms in the business world. First, employment advertisements brings the attention of work seeking people. An employer can use certain words in their employment advertisements that can keep older workers from applying to the job, as an example: young, recent college graduate, youthful, and etc. An employer using these words can open them to discrimination lawsuits. Similarly, in an article from the Seattle Times which list five of the biggest legal missteps Human Resources can make, they write, “The hiring process: Mistakes in this area often start right at the beginning, with discriminatory

Elderly people are often stereotyped as forgetful, weak, or unable to take care of themselves; keeping this in mind, how can you logically hire an elderly person to do a job that a young, more physically fit employee could undoubtedly perform with less risk and effort. Stereotypes such as these are playing a huge role in the controversy over mandatory retirement. Morgan