According
to a National Bureau of Economic
Research study,
your age may negatively affect your chances of getting a job, especially if
you’re female. Researchers submitted nearly identical resumés in response to
more than 40,000 job opportunities in fields as varied as administrative,
sales, security, and janitorial. The only difference in the fictional resumes?
The applicant’s age.
The
researchers found that “applicants” age 29-31 received a call back at
significantly higher rates that those ages 49-51 and 64-66. According to the
researchers, applicants around retirement age (the 64-66 age bracket) received
calls at lower rates than middle age applicants (the 49-51 age bracket).
Researchers found especially “robust evidence” of age discrimination against
older women. The results of this study contrast with the goals of federal law.
Age
discrimination against people 40 or older is prohibited by the federal Age
Discrimination in Employment Act. AARP’s
Age Discrimination website offers advice and guidelines for filing an age
discrimination claim.
Connecticut
is stepping up the battle age discrimination. The Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut
recently launched the Stop
Ageism Now campaign to inform people about ageism’s effects and collaborate
on solutions. Ageism, according to a letter
by the agency’s CEO Ted Surh, is the systematic discrimination against older
people. The campaign’s website includes a quiz to help identify ageism in your
life, a place to share stories of ageism, and information on ageism.
