Prime Earners Are Prime Targets for Ageism

Don’t Grow Old: Age bias against U.S. workers peaks as they approach age 50, and intensifies again as they near retirement, according to a comprehensive study of verified discrimination claims. The study, conducted by researchers associated with Ohio State University, says ageism spikes as workers enter their “prime earning years and their salaries are increasing the most,” says Vincent Roscigno, one of the study’s authors. Researchers examined nearly 2,200 age discrimination claims filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission from 1988 to 2003. People working in manufacturing, construction and related jobs were most likely to experience ageism. The study found that firings were the most common form of age discrimination, involving two-thirds of all complaints filed in Ohio, followed by on-the-job harassment (reported by 12 percent) and hiring practices (10 percent). Researchers say the findings also show that companies have made firing and downsizing decisions against older workers without determining whether they could still perform the job tasks.

However, this research is at odds with a recent report by Chicago consulting firm Age Lessons in which nearly one-quarter of workers ages 18 to 34 said they have been subjected to age discrimination. All told, 93 percent say they have “witnessed or experienced” ageism but didn’t report it.