Age Discrimination

Acts of age discrimination are motivated by prejudice toward an individual's or group's age.

In the workplace, age discrimination occurs when an employer treats an employee or prospective employee differently than others because of the person's age.

In the United States, there have been several fundamental pieces of legislation enacted to protect individuals against age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) is the most significant. It protects individuals who are 40 years of age and older from employment discrimination based on age. The ADEA was created to extend the law stated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, creed, color, religion, or ethnic origin, to include age.

The ADEA's protections apply to both employees and job applicants. ...