There are many varieties of discrimination in the workplace. Age discrimination is nothing new in American society, and it can be particularly pervasive at work.
Many organizations do research on age discrimination. It is a very important topic for organizations like the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). According to the AARP, nine in ten persons over the age of 50 in the US support strengthening age discrimination laws.
Age discrimination and getting hired
According to surveys of persons 50 and older, one of the most prevalent locuses of age discrimination is in the hiring process. Approximately 15% of surveyed persons reported experiencing age discrimination in hiring, stating that they believe they did not get hired due to their age.
In addition, over 50% of surveyed persons reported an employer asking for a birth date during the hiring process. Just under 50% report employers asking for graduation dates. Of course, the presence of these questions alone does not signify age discrimination. However, in many instances these are not “optional” questions the same way as gender or ethnicity-based questions often are.
Age discrimination in the workplace
Surveyed persons also reported that age discrimination continued, even after the hiring process. Over 60% of respondents believe that older individuals experience discrimination in the workplace due to their age. Over 30% report coworkers making negative comments about a coworker on the basis of their age.
Age discrimination can negatively affect Americans during the hiring process and in the workplace itself. As a result, the majority of older Americans strongly support additional action to prevent age discrimination from happening.
