How employers' social norms and stereotypes affect age discrimination in employment practices

What is it about?

Employers have strong preferences for younger workers over older workers for employment decisions, such as hiring, offering training, and offering a permanent contract. Social norms about the appropriate timing of retirement and stereotypical views of older and younger workers' qualities partly affect such preferences.

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Why is it important?

Helps explain age inequalities in the labor market in hiring, offering training, and offering a permanent contract. Shows how pervasive differential treatment due to workers' age is. Shows that social norms explain part of these inequalities.