Ageism As An Issue In Today’S Society

Ageism, a term brought about when the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 was legalized, is discrimination or biased treatment based on a person’s age. Consequently, ageism emerges when people stereotype others based on old age. It is especially common in the workforce. Ageism is regularly portrayed through society by television and advertising. Curtis, a sixty-two-year-old graphic design artist is battling ageism firsthand due to the discrimination he experienced when seeing a specific advertisement. This advertisement was promoting positions for graphic artists with fresh, innovative ideas who can entertain and relate to the young audience, with no more than four years of experience. The credentials which the advertisement called for, portrays ageism. Despite the advertisement not literally containing age limitations, it suggests to the elderly that they would not sufficiently fulfill the qualifications.

Curtis’s case is a prime example of age discrimination in the workplace. Even though the advertisement does not state a specific age group, the advertisement implies they are looking for a younger employee than old. The company attempts to counteract the belief of ageism by saying, they, “would hire a 70-year-old applicant if he or she were qualified and willing to work for an entry-level salary.” Although this company states this claim. With further investigation, it was uncovered that this company has no employees over the ages of 25 years and has recently turned down two completely capable graphic artists. These artists were both 54 and 61 years of age. Both these artists were willing to work at an entry-level salary, despite their work experience being more than four years. Another incident of age discrimination includes a case that took place in 2014. This event had to do with an experienced attorney, Dale Kleber. Kleber, who at the time was 58, put an application in for a medical device company in Illinois. After Kleber was not granted an interview, he discovered that the company employed a 29-year-old instead. He filed a complaint stating the lack of experience which the 29-year-old had. The qualifications for this job, “stated [a] maximum of seven years of experience” (Terrell, 2017). Although the credentials stated a desired 7 years of experience, the applicant that was hired did not have this experience. This incident portrays how a business may come across as accepting of all ages but realistically is not.

The advertisement expresses several evident signs of ageism and should be addressed immediately. Ageism is illegal during any process of employment, including hiring, promotions, raises and layoffs. As a lawyer, I would push Curtis to pursue a claim and sue. Every victim of age discrimination has the right to file a complaint. Once finished gathering all documentation and records from the investigation that suggests age discrimination, I would advise my client to file an administrative complaint with EEOC instantly. The EEOC stands for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and is an agency of the federal government to impose federal employment discrimination laws, as well as regulate certain employment activities. After the EEOC has completed its investigation, they will issue a right-to-sue notice, meaning Curtis would have 90 days to file a lawsuit. Sociological imagination is the ability to understand the relationship between individual biography and history in order to construct an experience. This key concept is very prominent in this situation as people need to be able to recognize the relationship between the individual and society. Ageism is influenced by societies view on the elderly and their lack of ability compared to the young. To obtain a sociological imagination, “a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of view” (Crossman, 2018). Our country today, “has often been described as a youth obsessed society” (Schueths, 2016), causing ageism to be a very prominent and controversial issue. The elders are directly affected in the workplace because of this negative view which the youth have of them.

In correlation to Curtis’s case, he was afflicted with the undesirable effects which ageism has on those willing, yet denied in the workplace. Although the advertisement did not specifically state an age in its credentials, it was implied. Curtis feels discouraged due to the implication of the advertisement, and its restrictions on age. Ageism is a controversial issue in today’s society primarily because of the corruption which the younger generations bring into the world.