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Seniors for Hire? Age Discrimination, "Sex-Plus-Age" Discrimination, and the Effectiveness of Age Discrimination Laws

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Button

    (Department of Economics, Tulane University)

Abstract

In this paper I discuss population aging, increased participation of seniors in the labor force in the United States (and reasons for this), and how these trends are making the struggles of older workers in the labor market increasingly policy relevant. I discuss evidence examining if age discrimination, especially age discrimination against older women ("sex-plus-age" discrimination), as a barrier for seniors as they try to increase their work lives through the common practice of "bridge" or "partial retirement" jobs. After discussing the evidence that measures age discrimination, I discuss economics and legal research that seeks to determine to what extent the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and state-level age discrimination laws prevent age and "sex-plus-age" discrimination. I conclude that while age discrimination laws seem to help mitigate some age discrimination faced by older men, older women face more age discrimination, and current age discrimination laws do a poor job of protecting older women, who are even more economically vulnerable.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Button, 2017. "Seniors for Hire? Age Discrimination, "Sex-Plus-Age" Discrimination, and the Effectiveness of Age Discrimination Laws," Working Papers 1715, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:tul:wpaper:1715
    as

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    File URL: http://repec.tulane.edu/RePEc/pdf/tul1715.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bloch, Farrell, 1994. "Antidiscrimination Law and Minority Employment," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226059839, June.
    2. Scott J. Adams, 2002. "Passed Over for Promotion Because of Age: An Empirical Analysis of the Consequences," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 23(3), pages 447-461, July.
    3. Courtney Coile & Kevin Milligan & David A. Wise, 2017. "Health Capacity to Work at Older Ages: Evidence from the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: The Capacity to Work at Older Ages, pages 359-394, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. David A. Wise, 2017. "Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: The Capacity to Work at Older Ages," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number wise-22, February.
    5. Calvo, Esteban, 2006. "Does Working Longer Make People Healthier and Happier?," MPRA Paper 5606, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Anek Belbase & Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher & Christopher M. Gillis, 2015. "Does Age-Related Decline in Ability Correspond with Retirement Age?," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2015-24, Center for Retirement Research.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Age discrimination; older women; Age Discrimination in Employment Act; population aging; intersectionality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • J78 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Public Policy (including comparable worth)
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • K31 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Labor Law
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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