AGE DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination against Older Workers in the Workplace

Table of Contents

Abstract1

CHAPTER NO: 1- INTRODUCTION2

CHAPTER NO: 2 - DISCUSSION4

Recent Supreme Court Ruling4

Age Discrimination Cases in the Workplace4

The Double Paradox of Sex and Age Discrimination5

A Modernist Response to a Postmodernist Dilemma8

Equality or Functionality?8

Competing Rationalities10

The Insuperable Probative Bar11

The Arbitrariness of Age as a Proxy13

Ageing Actively in an Uncertain World15

Too Old to Work15

Reinventing the Self18

Age Discrimination in the Television Industry19

Resource Groups for Older Workers20

Over Age 40 in the Entertainment Industry21

Job Security, Layoffs and Age Discrimination21

Value of Older Workers23

Future Developments in the Workplace23

Finding Employment for the Older Worker24

Increased Awareness24

Employer Responsibility to Prevent Age Discrimination25

CHAPTER NO: 3 - CONCLUSION26

REFERENCES27

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of “age discrimination at workplace” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “workplace discrimination on the basis of age” and its relation with “older people”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “age discrimination at workplace” and tries to gauge its effect on “older people and their life style”. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for “age discrimination” and tries to describe the overall effect of “age discrimination at workplace” on “older people”

CHAPTER NO: 1- INTRODUCTION

A significant demographic landmark is predicted to occur by 2020 when, for the first time, there will be more people in the world aged over 65 than under five. The social and economic consequences of an ageing population are dramatic and have attracted considerable attention. Social and critical gerontology offers an important framework for an interdisciplinary approach to ageing. However, research tends to focus on the post-retirement period, with attention to health and well-being, social participation and quality of life. Important as these issues are, there is scope for greater scholarly attention to age discrimination in employment. While there is no official consensus, it is the discrimination against those over 40 especially those over 50 or 60 that is most pronounced (Ruggiero & Brenda, 1998). Despite the rhetoric of productive ageing and attempts to add further segmentation to the life-cycle through distinctions such as young-old and Old-old, age discrimination in employment is rife, as we will show.

Once reach at the age of retirement i.e. 65 meant a retreat from the working world into a life of leisure. Today, millions of Americans now find it economically necessary to continue to work because retirement benefits do not provide the financial security that they had anticipated. In addition, many early retirees for economic or social reasons, are returning to the work force. Age and outdated skills often make it difficult for returning workers to find jobs and, when found, their jobs are often low-paying, part-time or temporary. Older workers were once treated with respect and viewed as an asset to their place of employment However, in today's society they are generally viewed as being less productive and difficult to work with (McGregor and Gray, 2003). Early retirement is often used as a means of controlling the size of the labor force. The older worker is more vulnerable to long-term unemployment ...