TERM PAPER

OF
MPOB
Age discrimination at
The workplace

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

MS.PRIYANKA CHHIBBER SAPNA CHOUDHARY

RT1902 B-36

REG NO. 10903715

 CONTENTS:
• Objective
• Introduction
• Abstract
• Forms of Ageism
• Age Discrimination
• Effects and significant effects of Ageism
• Measuring Ageism
• Government responses to Ageism
• Laws on Ageism
• Campaigns related to Ageism
• Accusation of Ageism
• Say no to Age Discrimination
• Conclusion
 OBJECTIVE:
The objective behind the study of this term paper is to know more about
Ageism or Age Discrimination and its effects in workplace.
It also helps to know the forms of ageism, meaning of Discrimination, how it
is effective in particular sectors like employment & healthcare and
also its effect in details and how to measure Ageism.
What is Government’s responses to Ageism, Laws on Ageism, Campaigns
related to Ageism.
This study also states that we should say no to Ageism (Age
Discrimination) and should prevent Ageism in the workplace to create
an Inclusive Environment.

INTRODUCTION

Ageism, also called age discrimination, is stereotyping of and

discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set
of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice
and discrimination. This may be casual or systematic. The term was coined
in 1969 by US gerontologist Robert N. Butler to describe discrimination
against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism. Butler defined
ageism as a combination of three connected elements. Among them were
prejudicial attitudes towards older people, old age, and the aging process;
discriminatory practices against older people; and institutional practices
and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about older people. The term has
also been used to describe prejudice and discrimination against teens and
children, including ignoring their ideas because they are too young, or
assuming that they should behave in certain ways because of their age.

Ageism commonly refers to positive discriminatory practices, regardless of

the age towards which it is applied. There are several subsidiary forms of
ageism. Adultism is a predisposition towards adults, which is seen as
biased against children, youth, and all young people who are not
addressed or viewed as adults. Jeunism is the discrimination against older
people in favor of younger ones. This includes political candidacies,
commercial functions, and cultural settings where the supposed greater
vitality and/or physical beauty of youth are more appreciated than the
supposed greater moral and/or intellectual rigor of adulthood.
Adultcentricism is the "exaggerated egocentrism of adults."Adultocracy is
the social convention which defines "maturity" and "immaturity," placing
adults in a dominant position over young people, both theoretically and
practically. Gerontocracy is a form of oligarch cal rule in which an entity is
ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult
population. Chronocentrism is primarily the belief that a certain state of
humanity is superior to all previous and/or future times.

Ageism may also lead to the development of fears towards certain

age groups, particularly:
Pedophobia, the fear of infants and children;
Ephebiphobia, the fear of youth, sometimes also referred as an irrational
fear of adolescents or a prejudice against teenagers; and
Gerontophobia, the fear of elderly people.

ABSTRACT:

The current literature on aging and ageism is summarized in support of a

theoretical perspective that includes both the biological and the
psychosocial components of these processes. Conceptual and
methodological problems are identified in models that rely on a deficit
approach to aging. We suggest that the biased responses of others foster
older adults' stress-related emotional and hormonal responses—responses
that may effectively reduce their social and cognitive competence. This
negative feedback process ultimately acts in a stereotype-maintaining
fashion. Implications are drawn for possible changes in social policy and
institutional practices that may reduce or prevent the harmful effects of
ageism. Examples are given of existing policies and practices that limit the
lives of older adults (in the guise of protection), along with newly instituted
policies and practices (including those at an international level) that place
the welfare of older adults in the context of life course issues shared by all.

Forms of ageism
There are several forms of ageism which fall under two general categories:
prejudicial ageism, or the negative stereotyping of people on the basis of
age, and discriminatory ageism, or denying people opportunities on the
basis of age.

• Implicit ageism
Implicit ageism is the term used to refer to the implicit or unconscious
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors one has about younger or older people.
These may be a mixture of positive and negative thoughts and a feeling,
but gerontologist Becca Levy reports that they “tend to be mostly negative.”
One way that implicit or explicit ageism may manifest is through the use of
patronizing language with older or younger people. The term "patronizing
language" specifically describes two negative methods of communication:
over accommodation, which consists of a person being excessively
courteous and speaking simple and short sentences very loudly and slowly
to an older or younger person, with an exaggerated tone and high pitch;
and baby talk, which involves practically the same uncomplicated speech
with an exaggerated pitch and tone that one uses when talking to a baby,
differing in the content of the speech. These tend to downplay the serious
and thoughtful contributions of older or younger persons to society, while
reinforcing a negative image of them as dependent people with deficiencies
in intellect, cognitive and physical performance, and other areas required
for autonomous, daily functioning. People who engage in this type of
speech treat older members of society as if they have regressed to an
infantile state, or treat younger members of society as if they have never
progressed beyond an infantile state.
 • Ageist stereotyping
Ageist stereotyping is a tool of cognition which involves categorizing into
groups and attributing characteristics to these groups. Stereotypes are
necessary for processing huge volumes of information which would
otherwise overload a person, and they are often based on a "grain of truth"
(for example, the association between aging and ill health). However, they
cause harm when the content of the stereotype is incorrect with respect to
most of the group or where a stereotype is so strongly held that it overrides
evidence which shows that an individual does not conform to it.
Stereotypes are used to interpret the world around us. For example, age-
based stereotypes prime one to draw very different conclusions when one
sees an older and a younger adult with, say, back pain or a limp. One might
well assume that the younger person’s condition is temporary and
treatable, following an accident, while the older person’s condition is
chronic and less susceptible to intervention. On average, this might be true,
but plenty of older people have accidents and recover quickly. This
assumption may have no consequence if one makes it in the blink of an
eye as one is passing someone in the street, but if it is held by a health
professional offering treatment or managers thinking about occupational
health, it could inappropriately influence their actions and lead to age-
related discrimination. Another example is when people are rude to children
because of their high pitched voice, even if they are kind and courteous.
This occurs mostly online, since the ageists are anonymous.

• Ageist prejudice
Ageist prejudice is a type of emotion which is often linked to the cognitive
process of stereotyping. It can involve the expression of derogatory
attitudes, which may then lead to the use of discriminatory behavior. The
Weakest Link example (see below) helps to explain the difference between
stereotyping and prejudice. Where older contestants were rejected in the
belief that they were poor performers, this could well be the result of
stereotyping. But older people were also voted for at the stage in the game
where it made sense to target the best performers. This can only be
explained by a subconscious emotional reaction to older people; in this
case, the prejudice took the form of distaste and a desire to exclude
oneself from the company of older people.

• Benevolent prejudice
Stereotyping and prejudice against different groups in society does not take
the same form. Age-based prejudice and stereotyping usually involves
older people being pitied, marginalized, or patronized. This is described as
"benevolent prejudice" because the tendency to pity is linked to seeing
older people as "friendly" but "incompetent." This is similar to the prejudice
most often directed against women and disabled people. Age Concern’s
survey revealed strong evidence of "benevolent prejudice." 48% said that
over-70s are viewed as friendly (compared to 27% who said the same
about under-30s). Meanwhile, only 26% believe over-70s are viewed as
capable (with 41% saying the same about under-30s).

• Hostile prejudice
"Hostile prejudice" based on hatred, fear, or threat (which often
characterizes attitudes linked to race, religion, and sexual orientation) is
less common with respect to the elderly, though is very common with
respect to youth. But there are examples, including excessive rhetoric
regarding intergenerational competition, and violence against vulnerable
older people, which can be motivated by subconscious hostility or fear.
Equality campaigners are often wary of drawing comparisons between
different forms of inequality. But it is unquestionably true that abuse and
neglect experienced by vulnerable older people (which is closely linked to
hostile prejudice) kills more people each year than the shocking but
relatively isolated cases of public violence motivated by race, religion, or
sexual orientation.

The impact of "benevolent" and "hostile" prejudice can be equally severe

but tends to be different. The warmth felt towards older people means there
is often public acceptance that they are deserving of preferential
treatment--for example, concessionary travel. But the perception of
incompetence means older people can be seen as "not up to the job" or "a
menace on the roads," when there is no evidence to support this.
Benevolent prejudice also leads to assumptions that it is "natural" for older
people to have lower expectations, reduced choice and control, and less
account taken of their views.

Discrimination
Age discrimination refers to the actions taken to deny or limit opportunities
to people on the basis of age. These are usually actions taken as a result
of one’s ageist beliefs and attitudes. Age discrimination occurs on both a
personal and institutional level.

On a personal level, an older person may be told that he or she is too old to
engage in certain physical activities, like an informal game of basketball
between friends and family, while a younger person may be told that he or
she is too young to engage in certain social activities, like going to an
unsupervised party.

On an institutional level, there are policies and regulations in place that limit
opportunities to people of certain ages and deny them to all others. The
law, for instance, requires that all young persons must be at least 16 years
old in order to obtain a driver’s license in the United States. There are also
government regulations that determine when a worker may retire.
Presently, in the US, a worker must be 66 years and 2 months old before
becoming eligible for normal retirement.

A 2006/2007 survey done by the Children's Rights Alliance for England and
the National Children's Bureau asked 4,060 children and young people
whether they have ever been treated unfairly based on various criteria
(race, age, sex, sexual orientation, etc). A total of 43% of British youth
surveyed reported experiencing discrimination based on their age, far
eclipsing other categories of discrimination like sex (27%), race (11%), or
sexual orientation (6%).
Ageism has significant effects in two particular sectors:
employment and health care:
1. Employment
The concept of ageism was originally developed to refer to prejudice and
discrimination against older people. Over time, this association between
discrimination and old age has been expanded by evidence that suggests
prejudice and discrimination in employment can occur to a worker of any
age.

Like racial and gender discrimination, age discrimination, at least when it

affects younger workers, can result in unequal pay for equal work. Unlike
racial and gender discrimination, however, age discrimination in wages is
often enshrined in law. For example, in both the United States and the
United Kingdom minimum wage laws allow for employers to pay lower
wages to young workers. Many state and local minimum wage laws mirror
such an age-based, tiered minimum wage. Outside of the law, older
workers, on average, make more than younger workers do. Firms may be
afraid to offer older workers lower wages than they offer to younger
workers.

Therefore, younger workers may face more statistical discrimination from

employers than older workers. Statistical discrimination refers to limiting the
employment opportunities of an individual based on stereotypes of a group
to which the person belongs. Limited employment opportunities could come
in the form of lower pay for equal work or jobs with little social mobility.
Younger female workers may be more statistically discriminated against
than older female workers, for example, because it is socially expected
that, as young women of childbearing years, they will need to leave the
work force periodically to have children.

Labor regulations also limit the age at which people are allowed to work
and how many hours and under what conditions they may work. In the
United States, a person must generally be at least 14 years old to seek a
job, and workers face additional restrictions on their work activities till they
reach age 16.Many companies refuse to hire workers younger than 18.

Young workers over 18 may also have a hard time finding a white-collar job
because the maximum age for some professional occupations is set as low
as 30 by employers. After these workers finish obtaining the necessary
professional degrees, they may have only a few years, at most, to get into
a position without being too old. The upward mobility in these same jobs
starts to diminish once the workers reach the age of 40. A worker who gets
a job at age 30 may only work about ten years before his chances of
promotion begin to dwindle.
While older workers benefit more often from higher wages than do younger
workers, they face barriers in promotions and hiring. Employers may also
encourage early retirement or layoffs disproportionately more for older or
more experienced workers.
Age discrimination in hiring has been shown to exist in the United States.
Joanna Lahey, economics professor at Texas A&M University, found that
firms are more than 40% more likely to interview a younger job applicant
than an older job applicant.
• 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 racial discrimination. Dominic Abrams,
social psychology professor at the university, concluded that ageism
is the most pervasive form of prejudice experienced in the UK
population.
• According to Dr. Bob McCann, an associate professor of
management communication at the University of Southern
California’s Marshall School of Business, denigrating older workers,
even if only subtly, can have an outsized negative impact on
employee productivity and corporate profits. For American
corporations, age discrimination can lead to significant expenses. In
Fiscal Year 2006, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission received nearly 17,000 charges of age discrimination,
resolving more than 14,000 and recovering $51.5 million in monetary
benefits. Costs from lawsuit settlements and judgments can run into
the millions, most notably with the $250 million paid by the California
 Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) under a settlement
agreement in 2003.

2. Healthcare
There is considerable evidence of discrimination against the elderly in
health care. This is particularly true for aspects of the physician-patient
interaction, such as screening procedures, information exchanges, and
treatment decisions. In the patient-physician interaction, physicians and
other health care providers may hold attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that
are associated with ageism against older patients. Studies have found that
physicians often do not seem to show any care or concern toward treating
the medical problems of older people. Then, when actually interacting with
these older patients on the job, the doctors sometimes view them with
disgust and describe them in negative ways, such as "depressing" or
"crazy." For screening procedures, elderly people are less likely than
younger people to be screened for cancers and, due to the lack of this
preventative measure, less likely to be diagnosed at early stages of their
conditions.

After being diagnosed with a disease that may be potentially curable, older
people are further discriminated against. Though there may be surgeries or
operations with high survival rates that might cure their condition, older
patients are less likely than younger patients to receive all the necessary
treatments. It has been posited that this is because doctors fear their older
patients are not physically strong enough to tolerate the curative treatments
and are more likely to have complications during surgery that may end in
death. However, other studies have been done with patients who had heart
disease, and, in these cases, the older patients were still less likely to
receive further tests or treatments, independent of the severity of their
health problems. Thus, the approach to the treatment of older people is
concentrated on managing the disease rather than preventing or curing it.
This is based on the stereotype that it is the natural process of aging for the
quality of health to decrease, and, therefore, there is no point in attempting
to prevent the inevitable decline of old age.
Such differential medical treatment of elderly people can have significant
effects on their health outcomes.

Effects of ageism

Ageism has significant effects on the elderly. The stereotypes and

infantilization of older people by patronizing language affects older people’s
self-esteem and behaviors. After repeatedly hearing a stereotype that older
people are useless, older people may begin to feel like dependent, non-
contributing members of society. They may start to perceive themselves in
terms of the looking-glass self--that is, in the same ways that others in
society see them. Studies have also specifically shown that when older
people hear these stereotypes about their supposed incompetence and
uselessness, they perform worse on measures of competence and
memory. These stereotypes then become self-fulfilling prophecies. Older
people may also engage in self-stereotypes, or taking their culture’s age
stereotypes to which they have been exposed over the life course and
directing them inward toward themselves. Then this behavior reinforces the
present stereotypes and treatment of the elderly.
Many overcome these stereotypes and live the way they want, but it can be
difficult to avoid deeply ingrained prejudice, especially if one has seen
others express ageist views before growing older.
This is not to say, however, that it has no effect on the young. It too can
have the same effects as ageism towards the elderly.

Measuring ageism

It is very difficult to measure ageism. Very few studies have been

conducted on the topic, and those that have tend to leave out some forms
of ageism, such as implicit ageism and self-stereotyped ageism. These two
forms are particularly hard to conceptualize. Of the studies that have
attempted to measure the concept of ageism, many have been met with
significant scrutiny because there are several factors, such as the social
desirability bias, that may cloud the data.
In Freakonomics, Stephen Levitt’s surprise hit of 2005, the study of hidden
(or "implicit") ageism was brought out of the psychologist’s laboratory and
into the TV studio. Levitt described how, in the US version of The Weakest
Link, contestants’ voting decisions were, on average, biased against older
panelists. At the stage of the game where it is in participants’ interests to
vote for poor performers, older people were likely to be chosen even when
younger adults had performed worse. But when contestants would benefit
by choosing top-performing rivals (to eliminate the competition), they
tended to choose lower-performing, older contestants. Subconsciously, the
panelists simply did not want to be around older people.

Government responses to ageism

Each state may have its own laws regarding age discrimination. In India,
the Fair Employment and Housing Act permit discrimination against
persons under the age of 40. The FEHA is the principal California statute
prohibiting employment discrimination, covering employers, labor
organizations, employment agencies, apprenticeship programs and/or any
person or entity, who aids, abets, incites, compels, or coerces the doing of
a discriminatory act. In addition to age, it prohibits employment
discrimination based on race or color; religion; national origin or ancestry,
physical disability; mental disability or medical condition; marital status; sex
or sexual orientation; and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical
conditions.
The federal government governs age discrimination under the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). The ADEA prohibits
employment discrimination based on age with respect to employees 40
years of age or older as well. The ADEA also addresses the difficulty older
workers face in obtaining new employment after being displaced from their
jobs, arbitrary age limits. The ADEA applies even if some of the minimum
20 employees are overseas and working for a US corporation.
The United States federal government has responded to issues of ageism
in governance through several measures in the past. They include the
creation of the 1970s-era National Commission on Resources for Youth,
which was created in the late 1960s as to promote youth participation
throughout communities. Recently the federal government implemented the
Tom Osborne Federal Youth Coordination Act, aiming to curb redundancy
among federal service providers to youth.
Other countries that have laws addressing ageism include Australia,
Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Laws on ageism and hate crimes

Some countries have enacted anti-discriminatory laws against ageism,
usually associating them with other hate crime motivations like racism,
sexual orientation or religious intolerance.
In the United States, thirteen states define age as a specific motivation for
hate crimes - California, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Hawaii,
Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York
and Vermont.
The European citizenship provides the right to protection from
discrimination on the grounds of age. According to Article 21-1 of the
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union [6], “any
discrimination based on any ground such as (…) age, shall be prohibited”.
In the Francophone world, discrimination based on age is often classified
as a hate crime and/or legally deemed an aggravating circumstance.
In France, Articles 225-1 thru 225-4 of the Penal Code detail the
penalization of ageism, when it comes to age discrimination related to the
consumption of a good or service, to the exercise of an economic activity,
to the labor market or an internship, except in the cases foreseen in Article
225-3.
In Canada, Article 718.2, and clause (a) (I), of the Criminal Code defines as
aggravating circumstances, among other situations, “evidence that the
offence was motivated by ....age”
In Belgium, the Law of Feb. 25, 2003 “tending to fight discrimination”
punishes ageism when “a difference of treatment that lacks objective and
reasonable justification is directly based on …. Age”. Discrimination is
forbidden when it refers to providing or offering a good or service, to
conditions linked to work or employment, to the appointment or promotion
of an employee, and yet to the access or participation in “an economic,
social, cultural or political activity accessible to the public”. Incitement to
discrimination, to hatred or to violence against a person or a group on the
grounds is punished with imprisonment and/or a fine.

Advocacy campaigns
Many current and historical intergenerational and youth programs have
been created to address the issue of ageism. Among the advocacy
organizations created in the United Kingdom to challenge age
discrimination are Age Concern, the British Youth Council and Help the
Aged.

In the United States there have been several historic and current efforts to
challenge ageism. The earliest example may be the Newsboys Strike of
1899, which fought ageist employment practices targeted against youth by
large newspaper syndicates in the Northeast. During the Franklin D.
Roosevelt Administration, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was active in the
national youth movement, including the formation of the National Youth
Administration and the defense of the American Youth Congress. She
made several statements on behalf of youth and against ageism. In one
report entitled, "Facing the Problems of Youth," Roosevelt said of youth,

"We cannot simply expect them to say, 'Our older people have had
experience and they have proved to themselves certain things, therefore
they are right.' That isn't the way the best kind of young people think. They
want to experience for themselves. I find they are perfectly willing to talk to
older people, but they don't want to talk to older people who are shocked
by their ideas, nor do they want to talk to older people who are not
realistic."
Students for a Democratic Society formed in 1960 to promote democratic
opportunities for all people regardless of age, and the Gray Panthers was
formed in the early 1970s with a goal of eliminating ageism in all forms.
Three O’clock Lobby formed in 1976 to promote youth participation
throughout traditionally ageist government structures in Michigan, while
Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor started in 1970 to promote youth and fight
ageism.

More recent U.S. programs include Americans for a Society Free from Age
Restrictions, which formed in 1996 to advance the civil and human rights of
young people through eliminating ageist laws targeted against young
people, and to help youth counter ageism in America. The National Youth
Rights Association started in 1998 to promote awareness of the legal and
human rights of young people in the United States, and the free child
Project was formed in 2001 to identify, unify and promote diverse
opportunities for youth engagement in social change by fighting ageism.

Related campaigns
In 2002 the Writers Guild of America, West has waged a legal battle within
the entertainment industry to eliminate age discrimination commonly faced
by elder scriptwriters.
Director Paul Weitz reported he wrote the 2004 film, In Good Company to
reveal how ageism affects youth and adults.
In 2002 The Free child Project created an information and training initiative
to provide resources to youth organizations and schools focused on youth
rights.
In 2006 Lydia Giménez-LLort, Ph.D. an assistant professor of Psychiatry
and researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona coined the term
'Snow White Syndrome' at the 'Congress de la Gent Gran de Cerdanyola
del Vallès' (Congress of the Elderly of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona,
Spain) as a metaphor to define ageism in a easier and more friendly way
while developing a constructive spirit against it. The metaphor is based on
the auto-ageism and adultocracy exhibited by the queen of the Snow White
fairy tale as well as the social ageism symbolized by the mirror
Since 2008 'The Intergenerational Study' by Lydia Giménez-LLort and
Paula Ramírez-Boix from the Autonomous University of Barcelona is aimed
to find the basis of the link between grandparents and grandsons (positive
family relationships) that are able to minimize the ageism towards the
elderly. Students of several Spanish universities have enrolled to this study
which soon will be also performed in USA, Nigeria, Barbados, Argentina
and Mexico. The preliminary results reveal that 'The Intergenerational study
questionnaire' induces young people to do a reflexive and autocratic
analysis of their intergenerational relationships in contrast to those shown
towards other unrelated old people which results very positive to challenge
ageism. A cortometrage about 'The International Study' has been directed
and produced by Tomas Sunyer from Los Angeles City College
Votes at 16 intends to lower the voting age to 16, reducing ageism and
giving 16 year olds equal pay on the National Minimum Wage. The group
claims that 16 year olds get less money than older people for the same
work, angering many 16 year olds. They additionally postulate that 16 year
olds will have their voice listened to by older people more often.

Accusations of ageism

In a recent interview, actor Pierce Brosnan cited ageism as one of the

contributing factors as to why he was not asked to continue his role as
James Bond in the Bond film Casino Royal, released in 2006.

Also, successful singer and actress, Madonna spoke out in her 50s about
ageism and her fight to defy the norms of society.

Had John McCain succeeded in his 2008 campaign for President, he would
have been the oldest President in American history. Discussions about his
age dogged McCain during his failed run, and whether or not the criticism
of McCain qualified as unfair 'ageist' allegations or legitimate points of view
was hotly debated. McCain himself frequently made fun of the criticisms, in
one instance pretending to fall asleep when asked about his age.
A 2007 Pew Research Center study found that a majority of American
voters would be less likely to vote for a President past a given age, with
only 45% saying that age would not matter.

The new law:

Direct or indirect discrimination in employment and vocational training will

be unlawful. Direct discrimination occurs when a person is treated less
favorably on the grounds of age. Indirect discrimination can be harder to
spot. It occurs where everyone is treated the same but one group is
particularly disadvantaged because of their age. In certain circumstances,
employers may be able to directly discriminate if their actions can be
objectively justified. The directive itself provides examples of age
discrimination that may be justified, for example, a maximum recruitment
age being specified due to the training requirements of the post. Employers
will inevitably have to tread with care if they seek to objectively justify age
discrimination and must ensure that they have evidence in support of their
claims.

Employers should already have checked for potential age discrimination in

all areas including recruitment, training, selection, promotion, pay and
benefits, dismissal and retirement. Employers should also have new
retirement procedures in place to take into account the new law
encompassing the default retirement age of 65 and the right for employees
to request to carry on working beyond this age. Early action is vital in order
to avoid any costly and potentially headline-grabbing tribunal claims. It is
widely recognized that age discrimination is endemic in the UK and the
introduction of legislation to prevent it raises complex and sensitive issues,
as the culture of the workplace will have to change. Most people recognize
that it is not acceptable to make sexist or racist jokes but ageism is rife and,
some would say, acceptable. Just think of the last time you received a
birthday card with a joke about your age on it. In the US, age discrimination
legislation has been in place for many years but with one distinct
difference; in most states, only workers over the age of 40 are protected. In
the UK both the young and old are protected, making the legislation
Recruitment, training and promotion the recruitment process should not
involve any consideration of age.

SAY NO TO AGE DISCRIMINATION

THIS IS the age of Gen Y. Youngsters dominate the workforce with 20 - 35

being the desired age. The animus against old people rules. And what is
old? Well, 40 are considered over the hill, you do not stand a chance once
you cross the landmark 50 and 60 is positively ancient!

`Out with the old and in with the new' is the new corporate mantra for
survival. Unfortunately, this cliché is not limited to skills and methods but
encompasses age too.

Consider Gregory Tingey of England who applied for more than 100 jobs,
had four interviews but received no offers. This despite having a degree in
physics, a master's degree in engineering, a higher national certificate in
electronics and years of experience in manufacturing research. `At 59, I
cannot even get a job as an electrician', he moans. This is pure and
undiluted ageism!

Youth has become the preposterous yardstick for performance. An

employee enjoys a rising trajectory and suddenly, whams! He is denied the
well-deserved promotion and pushed into a low-level job with reduced
responsibilities only because he is too `old'. Top it off with increasing
pressure and loud hints pointing him towards early retirement and he may
almost succumb. All because he is on the wrong side of 45! His chances of
landing a new job are infinitesimal even as he sends out resume after
resume.

Older employees also face the axe more often during layoffs and are
replaced with younger employees. Moreover, if the CEO happens to be a
34 year old, he will hesitate interminably before hiring a 42 year old,
however experienced. There is a ten to one chance that the vote will swing
in favor of a raw recruit, despite the lack of experience skill and knowledge.
All this is done in the name of inducting new blood to rejuvenate the
organization.

Deserve a better deal

The environment today reeks of age discrimination. Older people are
stereotyped as inflexible, failing in health and unwilling to learn or adapt.
But, the truth is far from this. How can one ignore the importance of
diversity, experience, maturity, dedication, reliability and wisdom that the
members of the older generation have on their side?

Moreover, with rising life expectancy, better health and economic

necessity, people need and want to work. Nobody can deny them this right.
As 67-year-old Patricia Zellar of Sacramento, U.S.A. laments, `Just
because you get older, you are not on the verge of death. Those employers
who want young employees with no experience are cheating themselves'.

British TV presenter Johnny Ball reaffirms, `Discrimination due to age is

one of the great tragedies of modern life. The desire to work and be useful
is what makes life worth living. To be told your efforts are not needed
because you are the wrong age is a crime'. Beware, now you may even
buy yourself a lawsuit in the face of increasing legal protection provided by
courts. The Ford Motor Co. for instance had to cough up US$13 million to
settle a class-action age-discrimination lawsuit.

Shattering the negative prejudices

Age does not determine the capacity to perform. It is high time that we
wake up to this fact and learn to value older people. They are, in fact worth
their weight in gold. So, stop making assumptions and discriminate based
on age.

However, merely sending a memo to the HR department will not put an end
to the ageist practices ruling the workplace. This is only lip service to the
cause; a more hands-on approach is called for. Here are few pointers on
how to put the plan into action:
Recruitment and selection procedures - The job advertisement
should encourage applications from all age groups. Steer clear of age limits
and discriminatory language like `young' or `fresh'. Use a mixed age
interviewing panel to successfully recruit a diverse age team.

Promotions and layoffs - Avoid age cut-offs for promotion and training
to get rid of discriminatory implications. Set measurable standards for
evaluating performance with focus on skills, abilities and potential. Use job-
related criteria when considering employees for redundancy. Make sure
age is not a criterion and let people know that. Base retirement policy on
business needs and adopt flexible retirement schemes wherever possible.

Retain and motivate them - Reaffirm the `There is nothing wrong with
being older' attitude. Develop a supportive environment for older workers to
bring out the best in them. Build morale and productivity by appreciating
their performance. Encourage them to serve as experts, specialists and
mentors. Provide on-the-job training to update their skills and prevent
obsolescence.

Revise attitudes - Arrange workshops to train the staff to uphold non-

discriminatory practices and deal with intergenerational issues. Make it
clear that the company will not tolerate discrimination. Companies can also
set up internal grievance procedures to deal with such issues.

The next time you find someone being written off because of his
supposedly advancing age, think of 72-year-old team manager, Jack
McKeon who guided the Florida Marlins to a World Series victory. This
came three years after he was pushed out of baseball because of age
discrimination!

Also, keep in mind that no one is immune to ageing. Age will catch up with
you too. What you do today will be done unto you, say, fifteen years down
the line!

Preventing Ageism in the Workplace: Creating

an Inclusive Environment:
Despite regulations dictated by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
of 1967 (ADEA) and the fact that extensive research has found no
relationship between a person’s age and their job performance, age
discrimination (or ageism) remains a prevalent issue in the workplace.
Ageism is the unfair or unequal treatment of an individual by an employer
or coworkers on the basis of the individual’s age and is typically directed
towards individuals that are 40 years of age or older. Age discrimination
costs American businesses millions of dollars and, as the “baby-boomer”
generation gets older; such costs are likely to increase exponentially. In
Fiscal Year 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
received 24,582 charges of age discrimination. Of the charges received,
the EEOC resolved 21,415 charges and recovered $82.8 million in
monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not
including monetary benefits obtained through litigation). Age discrimination
also carries other consequences than just the monetary costs incurred by
firms. When age discrimination is present, the firm is missing out on
opportunities to capitalize on the unique characteristics of their employees.

It is a typically held belief that older workers who have more experience in
customer relations will show better judgment in making work-related
decisions and care more about the quality of their work. Older workers are
also less likely to quit, show up to work late, or be absent. Unfortunately,
the more negative aspects of employing older workers tend to dominate
people’s perspectives of employing older individuals. For example, older
workers tend to get paid a higher salary, have pension plans and take more
vacation time compared to their younger counterparts. The negative
assumptions of employing older workers only serve to put a damper on an
organization’s culture and are completely unjustifiable considering that, as
stated previously, no correlation has been found between age and job
performance. Furthermore, age discrimination can create a hostile work
environment which interferes with work performance, morale and retaining
employees, particularly older workers.

With such negative implications, it is imperative for an enterprise to keep

ageism (and all other types of discrimination) under control. However, age
discrimination can be hard to identify, and even harder to prevent; there are
some prejudices that reveal themselves much more subconsciously.

The first step in preventing age discrimination in the workplace is to

understand exactly what it is and identify potential problems within your
organization or company. Some employees may hold biases they are not
aware of and can be exposed in using the proper techniques. Effective
training sessions that extend beyond a simple information session and
focus on behavioral reform can raise employee awareness of
discriminatory practices.

An enterprise should also clearly communicate the organization's age

discrimination policy by posting it on bulletin boards or on the company
intranet. The policy should include harassment definitions, remedies, and
consequences, reporting procedures, grievance processes and anti-
retaliation language. Employees need to understand that the company
takes age discrimination seriously. This practice will also make older
employees feel more valued.

Another preventative measure to take is to place job advertisements where

they will reach workers of all ages. There should not be a "date of birth"
section on any job application forms. Instead, the emphasis should be
placed on experience, skills and ability – what an individual can bring to an
organization. Also, when interviewing, a company should employ a mixed-
age interview panel in the selection process whenever possible. These
interviewers should focus on job-related questions and make their hiring
decisions as free from prejudice or stereotypes as possible (as mentioned
previously, some individuals have hidden biases).

Other ways that organizations can go about preventing age discrimination

in the workplace include making sure that everyone who interviews
candidates is familiar with age discrimination laws; communicating that
salary requirements will be based on experience and performance, not on
age; emphasizing skills, abilities, and potential to employees; and avoiding
age cutoffs for promotions or training. Also, peer-to-peer mentoring can be
a tremendous aid to employees. Workers of any age can pass on their
experience, and help others develop themselves through the use of their
peer’s knowledge, skills and expertise. It is also important to have
managers set a good example in their interaction with older employees.

All in all, organizations need to be proactive in their attempts to eliminate

age discrimination in the workplace and create an inclusive environment.
Every employee, regardless of age, should feel welcomed when they walk
into their workplace. Failures to provide individuals with this type of
environment will ultimately prohibit their productivity, which will, in turn, mal
affect the entire company.

CONCLUSION:
Age discrimination is stereotyping of and discrimination against
individuals or groups because of their age. The term was coined in 1969 by
US gerontologist Robert N. Butler to describe discrimination against
seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism. Age discrimination refers to
the actions taken to deny or limit opportunities to people on the basis of
age. These are usually actions taken as a result of one’s ageist beliefs and
attitudes. Age discrimination occurs on both a personal and institutional
level.
On a personal level, an older person may be told that he or she is too old to
engage in certain physical activities on an institutional level, there are
policies and regulations in place that limit opportunities to people of certain
ages and deny them to all others.

In India, the Fair Employment and Housing Act permit discrimination

against persons under the age of 40. The FEHA is the principal California
statute prohibiting employment discrimination, covering employers, labor
organizations, employment agencies, apprenticeship programs and/or any
person or entity, who aids, abets, incites, compels, or coerces the doing of
a discriminatory act. Many current and historical intergenerational and
youth programs have been created to address the issue of ageism. Among
the advocacy organizations created in the United Kingdom to challenge
age discrimination are Age Concern, the British Youth Council and Help the
Aged.
REFERENCE:
• http://ezinearticles.com/?Ageism-in-the-Workplace&id=1105099
• http://orangecountyemploymentlawyers.com/orange_county_age_dis
crimination_attorney.aspx
• http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html
• http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/labor-employment-law-
discrimination-racial/11414718-1.html
• http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workplace-health-
safety-employment/11441-1.html
• http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/us/ageism1.htm
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/20545/age_discrimination.ht
ml?cat=3