Age Discrimination Gets Younger

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by Vince Winkel

Not long ago, age discrimination was mostly associated with those getting close to retirement. But as the economy changes and the Baby Boomer generation ages -- the youngest Boomers turned 40 in 2004 -- age discrimination is affecting more workers who are nowhere near the end of their careers.

In fact, many managers in their 40s may feel like they're just hitting their stride in terms of professional accomplishment.

"Age bias seems to almost be acceptable, and that's a real problem," says Dan Kohrman, senior solicitor for AARP and an expert on age discrimination. "In some cases, employees are being let go, and they don't realise what was done to them -- that they were discriminated against because of their age."

Legislation exists in the UK that is designed to protect older workers.  However, a survey conducted February 2005 revealed that 89 percent of those polled, who represented a cross-section of white-collar workers aged 30 to 60, were concerned that they may soon be discriminated against for age-related reasons.