Date of Award
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science Honours
Faculty
Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences
First Supervisor
Edward Helmes
Abstract
The percentage of older adults in the Australian population is predicted to increase from about 18 at the end of this century to about 33 per cent by the year 2050. One anticipated consequence of this significant ageing of the population is that increasing numbers of older adults may be required in the workforce. Still, age discrimination in hiring places older adults at a disadvantage. Local measures of actual discrimination are needed in order to formulate appropriate policies and interventions to combat such negative attitudes. Evidence suggest that, contrary to employers perceptions, older adults are willing and able to work The Equal Opportunity Act and the waving of compulsory retirement protect older adults and enable them to file complaints in cases of unlawful discrimination. However, a rejected job applicant is unlikely to be told that he or she were rejected because they are to old thus leaving the person powerless to make a complaint. One method with which to measure actual discrimination is correspondence testing, which was used in the USA to measure actual age discrimination in hiring. It is suggested that the use of similar methodology in Western Australia would yield important information for both policy makers and researchers.
Recommended Citation
Gringart, E. (1999). Age Discrimination in Hiring Practices Against Older Adults in Western Australia : The Case of Accounting Assistants. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/807