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| Yes | 91% | 64 votes | Total: 70 votes | |
| No | 9% | 6 votes |
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Add to FavoritesIs age discrimination increasing in the American workplace?
With unemployment rampant in America, employers are free to discriminate based on age. Although employers strongly deny that older workers are discriminated against in the workplace, particularly in their hiring practices, the facts speak for themselves. Workers as young as 45 years old face a much longer period of unemployment than younger workers will when they experience loss of employment. It was reported by the New York Times that workers 45 years old and older were out of work 6 weeks longer than workers under 45 years old. Workers 55 years of age and over face an even longer period of unemployment and become more desperate for employment as the months pass.
Let's take a look at some of the possible reasons for employers to let older workers go. An older worker that has been with the company for more than 10 years usually is at a higher pay scale than a newly hired employee. By letting the higher paid older worker go, they could theoretically lower their overall pay scale and eventually could pay no more than minimum wage to desperate job seekers.
The older, long time employee usually has accumulated more vacation time, periods during which the vacationing worker is not producing for the company. It is possible that desperate unemployed workers will agree to less vacation time in order to obtain work.
Employers may believe that an older worker is a bigger health risk, costing them more for health insurance premiums if health insurance is a provided benefit. Also the employer may reason that an older worker is not as energetic as a younger worker and possibly less agile therefore more prone to have an on the job injury. All of the above reasons could possibly cut into profit and greedy companies will consider profit before employee experience or employee welfare. American employers want workers, especially older workers, to work 70 hours each week, have no job security, have no benefits and accept a low pay scale. It is reminiscent of the sweatshop mentality.
Workers on the cusp of retirement age, 55 years old to 62 years old, face nearly impossible odds when searching for a job. Regardless of their experience and impeccable references, they will go on job interviews daily for months on end without obtaining employment. Although it is illegal to discriminate against a job applicant because of age, many hiring personnel will look at the silver haired job applicant with years of experience in the field and an exemplary work record, then put the application in the pile to keep on file. No reason will ever be given to the applicant other than they have filled the position.
It is nearly impossible to prove that the decision to hire a younger worker was made on the basis of age. Employers will never say that the younger worker has more experience, which would be an obvious lie. If you can get the company to explain why they hired a younger less qualified applicant, the employer will probably say that the older worker is over qualified for the job. It's another way of saying that their company wants less qualified, cheaper employees.
Yes, it is age discrimination in the workplace, plain and simple.
Learn more about this author, Colleen Mart.
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No
I am really sick of hearing the word discrimination. If you promote and protect one person or group, then you are discriminating against the other. There is a very key question to be drawn from that statement. Why is it fine on one end and not the other?
I'm sick of just about everything in life because of that word. It seems to be just one big excuse to discriminate against me. I see the whole past generation with these houses, decent jobs, marriages, and American dream. I don't care how bad they messed up their lives, they had a fair shot at it anyway. I find that they are crying about bad investments. I see that they lost all their retirement funds. I see them working at every possible job way past their prime.
You know what? I honestly have no respect for them. They did it to themselves and now they want the younger generation to pay the price for them. They want us to pay their social security. They want us to work longer and never retire. They want us to go without a job a little longer. We deserve a chance too. I have wasted almost ten years working and waiting for an opportunity that is stable and long term because of this attitude they have.
Every chance to move up or get more money, these people won't go away. They are greedy and ignorant. Either they want more riches upon retirement, a better lifestyle now, or they already blew all their excess and want sympathy. It would be fine if we had anything down here, but most of us have jack. No house, no retirement fund started, and no hope by age thirty. I end up just wishing the old bastards would die, let alone wonder if they are discriminated against.
Does this idea of age discrimination ever end up directed toward the youth? I see jobs turn down employees all the time because of lack of experience. In fact, I have been turned down for many jobs because I didn't have experience that I could have only had from having worked there prior. That paradox isn't even considered remotely discrimination. What is the point of a society? Is it to promote the feeble and aging, so that the society dies a glamorous death? I thought that it was to promote the young and secure a brighter future.
You give me a WWII vet and they can have my place in line any day. I have only respect for them, but that is because of their attitude. They worked hard for us. They care about the country and the youth. They are the ones that helped most of the current older citizens get ahead. These are the same people who have no respect in return. They were given everything that you could ask for in a country and they wasted it all away for us.
Not only that, they never actually grew up. I find myself and most thirty-somethings ending up being the adults for the two surrounding generations of ignorant morons. I don't care if you agree or not. If you don't fit that description, you probably understand and relate. They spawned the whole user friendly movement. Everything has to be straight forward for them or they give up because it was always handed to them. I have to deal with my mother and grandmother as they throw tantrums and lack all reasoning or self control like small children.
What is sad is that this is common to that generation. They were taught that opinions mattered and that logical analysis and science mean nothing. These are the people who we need in any job? Most of them learned one specialty in life and know nothing about the entire rest of the world around them. How can you discriminate against them? We are lucky to still have jobs and a country after letting them manage things and work at all. As you see, that luck might to running out soon. If anything, we need to cut our losses before it is actually too late and get them moved right along.
Sure, I could write a good article. I could spent more time, but the same idiots are on here rating them. They miss half my points, connections, and work anyway. I don't expect ratings, I just like knowing my voice is heard. The people who matter to me will read it and maybe find inspiration. That is all I care about with any of my writing anymore.
For the same reasons given in my ranting, I gave up on anything else. It doesn't matter how much qualification you have as a writer. Apparently, these people know and have the right/qualification to rate it and make money too. Frankly that goes for all who complain and moan about discrimination. You might get the sympathy of those in charge, but you will not find an easy and gentle road any longer from those you walk upon.
Learn more about this author, Joseph Wigton.
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