Discuss why this law or court ruling is so meaningful to you.
The law that resonates the most with me is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967. This act requires that companies not discriminate against any individual age 40 or older for any reason when considering them for employment or conditions once they have been hired such as advancement. This law is important to me because my Mom was a single mother with little education. When my parents divorced she had to work several jobs to provide for me and my siblings. She was already past the age of 40 and because of this act she was able to secure work which may not have been available to her prior. Although she wasn’t well educated, she was smart, hard working, and loyal. This act enabled her access to employment where her age was forcibly overlooked and she had the opportunity to prove her age had nothing to do with her abilities. Just like today, aging workers face a younger, stronger, smarter workforce which shine brighter than they do on the outside. I mention the outside because what is often missed is the wealth of knowledge and experience an aging worker possesses on the inside. Younger workers, fresh out of college, offer employers a new dynamic in creativity, speed, agility, and cutting edge knowledge. Aging workers face hurdles such as increased health issues which may cause them to miss work or need accommodations to continue to perform the tasks they are provided. Aging workers may possess a different set of values, especially in comparison to the younger generation which was emerging in 1967 when the act was instated, which could pose an issue depending on the company they are seeking employment with or are currently employed at. In today’s society technology changes quickly which could be an obstacle to aging workers as they work to keep up intellectually. Stamina is a viable obstacle as well. We live in a society which pushes individuals to extremes at times requiring long hours at times. For an aging who may tire those hours could be a real obstacle
