Ageism In The Workplace

In our society, ageism refers to stereotypes that discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. A tendency to think of elders as weak, unworthy of attention or unsuitable for attention is another way of looking at ageism. It is one of the most controversial topics of today, but it is not usually taken seriously. The term “ageism” was created by Robert Neil Butler in 1969 because he recognized the discrimination against elderly people. Butler, who was an author, physician, psychiatrist, and gerontologist, was known as the founder of the International Longevity Center (ILC) and National Institute on Aging (NIA). Since Butler wanted to bring societal awareness to the stereotypes against the older generation, he spent most

It limits and denies people opportunities based on how old they are. Employers might say someone is too young or old for a certain position and base their decision on that no matter if the person is still capable of filling the position. Some states are trying to pass laws to stop age discrimination. According to the Department of Fair employment and Housing, California law prohibits discrimination in employment such as race, religion, sex, physical handicap, martial, status, and age. Businesses usually find ways around these laws though. Employers use minimum wage to take advantage of younger workers. They might give someone who is older more money even though they are completing the same tasks. Employers know that younger workers need “experience” and a lot of times don’t need a lot of money to support themselves seeing as they still live at home with their guardians. Sometimes employers pay older workers more to push them towards early retirement, or laying the workers off using that as an excuse. Employers don’t like hiring or keeping elderly people in their field because they think older people might be unable to fulfill certain task, but a lot of older people in this day and age are in really good health. An example of someone going through this and fighting back is Kevin Brady, who worked at Disney as a director of a studio. He sued Disney because he said they, “Unfairly fired him because of his age… saying that they were eliminating his position, where he later found out they hired an individual in her late 20’s or