Research shows that age discrimination is prevalent

On Behalf of | Oct 29, 2015 | Workplace Discrimination |

Research shows that age discrimination is prevalent in the United States, including in Indiana. Age discrimination is a real problem even though there are laws in place prohibiting it. Research also shows that the older a person is, the more discrimination he or she will likely face, and older women are especially targeted.

The findings come from research that was recently done in an attempt to document exactly how widespread discrimination is, especially among people getting close to retirement age. The researchers used over 40,000 job applications to respond to job ads in about a dozen cities. Whether these roles were for janitors, sales associates or administrative workers, the email or telephone callback rates were a lot higher for younger people than for older ones.

Discrimination, as opposed to the lack of skills, might help to explain the lengthier unemployment periods that older workers have. These long periods, spanning at least six months, constitute one of the persisting problems that began during the most recent recession. The recent research shows that women in sales have an especially tough time finding work as they get older.

When people are victims of illegal age discrimination in Indiana, this can hurt their career opportunities and even cause emotional harm. Fortunately, workers have legal options in these situations. A person who has been discriminated against on the basis of age has the right to file a workplace discrimination lawsuit. In a successfully litigated suit, an employee may receive damages, such as front pay and back pay, as well as the reinstatement to a job, depending on the circumstances surrounding the case.

Source: detroitnews.com, “Age discrimination widespread in U.S. jobs, study finds“, Steve Matthews, Oct. 26, 2015

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