Age Discrimination (Ageism)
Ageism is bias against a person or group on the grounds of age. When that bias is the primary motivation behind acts of discrimination against that person or group, then those acts constitute age discrimination.Age discrimination
Age discrimination in employment may differ somewhat from race and gender discrimination, in that it does not usually take the form of wage discrimination. Older workers, on average, make more than younger workers do. Firms may be afraid to offer older workers lower wages than younger workers. Instead they will simply not promote or not hire an older worker. They may also encourage early retirement or layoff disproportionately older/more experienced workers.Although like all forms of discrimination, age discrimination has always been a problem, it is most severe at present in the entertainment and computer industries. Many elderly actors, musicians, scriptwriters, programmers, and electrical engineers have all complained that it is difficult for them to find work, even though they are well-qualified in terms of education and experience.
Age discrimination in hiring has been shown to exist in the United States. Joanna Lahey, Economics professor at Texas A+M, found that firms are more than 40% more likely to interview a younger job applicant than an older job applicant. Do Older Workers Face Discrimination?
In a survey for the University of Kent, England, 29% of respondents stated that they had suffered from age discrimination. This is a higher proportion than for gender or race discrimination. Dominic Abrams, Social Psychology professor at the University, concluded that ageism is the most pervasive form of prejudice experienced in the UK population.
Grass-roots activism
Many groups have been set up in various countries to combat age discrimination, including:United States
- Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions
- Gray Panthers: In the early 1970s, Maggie Kuhn formed the Gray Panthers, an organization with a goal of eliminating ageism in all forms.
- National Youth Rights Association
Unions
Many unions have thrown themselves into the battle against age discrimination. At present, the most prominent example is the Writers Guild of America West, which since 2002 has been waging a huge legal battle against much of the entertainment industry to get rid of the age discrimination commonly faced by elder scriptwriters.Laws
There are many laws against age discrimination, including:This content is provided by Wikipedia