Age discrimination is one of the fastest-growing areas of employment law. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency charged with administering the law, has received upward of 19,000 claims of age discrimination per year over the past several years. This growth is most attributable to the increasing number of aging employees in
Discrimination refers to a person’s behavior toward another based on the other’s social characteristics, such as age, sex, ethnicity, or national origin. Thus, sex discrimination is differential treatment of women and men. Inappropriate discrimination (for example, excluding workers from certain jobs or offering them lower wages based on their sex) is a topic of importance
Reverse discrimination claims often arise out of an employer’s attempt to honor either affirmative action programs or diversity initiatives focusing on attracting more women and minorities in the workplace. Lawsuits alleging reverse race discrimination generally fall under the rubric of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, or the Fourteenth Amendment
Forty years have passed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to engage in racial employment discrimination in the United States. Many scholars agree that this enactment has played a significant role in reducing this type of discrimination. Indeed, all accounts seem to suggest that blatant or outright prejudice is seen infrequently
Religious Discrimination Religious discrimination and diversity are realities of the modern workplace. In a recent survey of people in the United States, over 90 percent professed a religion, representing more than 1,500 religious denominations. Indeed, during the past decennia, the religious makeup of the workforce in Western countries has changed considerably due to increasing globalization
Along with race and gender, people commonly use age to categorize and form stereotypes about others. Ageism consists of a negative bias or stereotypical attitudes toward aging and the aged. It is maintained by persistent, mostly negative stereotypes and myths concerning older individuals. Age discrimination itself is an action; however, it is a consequence of
Message discrimination is a self-report measure of media exposure. In survey interviews, respondents are asked to recall information about a particular topic that they have encountered in various media in the recent past. For example, respondents might be asked, “What have you seen or heard on television about family planning in the last month?” Open
Discrimination is a complex social problem that affects individuals, groups, organizations, and society as a whole. Scholars describe discrimination as consisting of types (e.g., subtle or overt), occurring across levels (e.g., individual, institutional, cultural), and in relation to its targets (e.g., racial or ethnic, sexual, sexual orientation). The focus of study in many disciplines and
Discrimination Definition Discrimination is the phenomenon of treating a person differently from other persons based on group membership and an individual’s possession of certain characteristics such as age, class, gender, race, religion, and sexuality. Discriminatory behavior can take various forms from relatively mild behavior, such as social avoidance, to acts of violence, including hate crimes
To discriminate is to make distinctions or to acknowledge that differences exist. Therefore, discrimination is an act or practice of making distinctions based on perceived or actual differences. Although the word discriminate has neither a negative nor a positive connotation, the term discrimination often carries a negative undertone. Because these two terminologies do not carry
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 (amended in 1986) is a U.S. federal law that prohibits discrimination in employment against individuals who are at least 40 years old. It was enacted by the Congress to promote the employment of older people based on their ability and to prevent intentional and nonintentional forms
The phrase to discriminate has two interpretations: (a) to display prejudice toward members of a group through unjustified negative actions, and (b) to meaningfully differentiate between people on the basis of their characteristics. Discrimination of the second form involves the ability to ascertain the presence and degree of characteristics that distinguish one person from another.
Sexual discrimination occurs when individuals are treated differently or receive different outcomes solely because they are men or women. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made sexual discrimination illegal in the American workplace. Specifically, Title VII prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of his or her sex with
Robert Butler is credited with originating the term ageism in 1968. Ageism involves negative attitudes and discriminatory practices against individuals based on age. Such attitudes and practices often result in age discrimination, specifically against older individuals. Ageism has been evidenced in our media’s excessive emphasis on youth, in our medical and mental health fields, and
This article explores the multifaceted dimensions of stigma and discrimination in the context of HIV/AIDS within the framework of health psychology. The introduction provides a historical backdrop and underscores the importance of addressing these issues due to their profound impact on individuals living with HIV/AIDS and public health outcomes. The first section delves into the