Los Angeles Age Discrimination Lawyer

Age Discrimination in the United States

Age discrimination occurs when senior citizens are turned down for jobs or promotions, or even encouraged to retire before they are ready, because of their age. It is usually the result of ageism, which is a prejudice against senior citizens similar to racism or sexism. In 2005, a study at Texas A&M showed that younger job applicants are 40% more likely to be called for an interview than older applicants.

Age discrimination became illegal in the US when the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) was signed in 1967. In California, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act protects people over forty from discrimination, whether they are applying for apartments or jobs.

Sadly, despite these legal protections, age discrimination remains a consistent problem in our country. In 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity commission received 19,103 complaints of age discrimination.

One issue is that it can be difficult to prove. If you are over forty and suspect that you have lost your job, been turned down for a promotion, or not offered a certain position because of your age, you will need some kind of documentation to prove this. It will help your case if you can at least show that the company in question consistently overlooks or fires employees over the age of forty. It is especially useful if you have recorded instances of your employers using discriminatory or dismissive language when discussing senior citizens. If you are not sure whether you have a solid case, or if you need help building one, you need to contact a Los Angeles employment attorney.

If you have been the victim of age discrimination, or you suspect you might be one and wish to explore your options, contact a Los Angeles age discrimination lawyer from Perry Smith at (888) 356-2529 today.