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Age Discrimination In The United States
Today, our professional setups seem to be thumped by ageism in a higher proportion than even racism or sexism. |
The issue of age discrimination is in news these days and needs to be dealt with cautiously as it tends to have an adverse impact on individuals, private establishments and government agencies. Although noticed primarily with the older age group, age bias could affect the young as well.Such discrimination is known to mar the chances of acquiring a job or probability of promotion of an older employee. In fact, not only does age discrimination hamper the professional escalation of an individual but also makes the older employees most susceptible to layoffs.
Indulging in any form of age discrimination is a legal offense as per the laws of United States. 20 percent of the charges filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC pertain to age discrimination. The EEOC has provided several provisions via the state and federal laws to protect the professional rights of prospective candidates and employees of 40 years or above against any form of age bias. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act or ADEA passed by the US Congress in the year 1967 forbids employers to discriminate against any job applicant or employee on the basis of age. The law covers a wide range of aspects of employment that include hiring, pay, promotion, apprenticeship program, trainings, layoffs, dismissals and benefits. All state, federal and private organizations are under compulsion by law to follow all regulations furnished by the law and refrain from evaluating an individual on the criteria of age alone. Cases of age discrimination filed with the EEOC are scrutinized well and records highlight that a total amount of US$219,000 was awarded as defrayal to victims between the years 1955 and 1988.
Apart from ADEA, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 also safeguards the older employees against age bias. This law provides an equal opportunity for federal financial assistance in various programs and activities to all employees irrespective of age. In addition to this law, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act enforced in 1990 was introduced as an amendment to the ADEA, protecting the employment benefits of older employees.
With such extensive laws warning employers against age discrimination, the prospects of job and promotions for the older employees look certainly more promising. However, the employees themselves need to be wary of falling into the trap of age discrimination and should retaliate against any form of violation of the discriminatory acts.
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Age Discrimination In The United States
