Age discrimination basics

Age discrimination is being treated differently just because of your age:

• It can happen to you at any age; young or old.
• It can take place in your job, when you apply for jobs, on training or even if you're self employed.
• It's not just about how your manager treats but also if your colleagues or clients make life difficult for you because of your age.
• It can be blatant, or it can be less obvious.

For example, if a job advert says 'must be over 25' it's clear that the employer is discriminating. But an advert which says 'must have GCSE maths' is also discrimination because it rules out lots of older people who are less likely to have this fairly recent qualification.

Do the rules cover everything?

The new rules only cover employment and training, so things like benefits, shops and services won't be affected. Companies can still get away with things like charging you more for your car insurance if you're younger or refusing you car hire if you're older.

Is my boss ever allowed to discriminate against me?

Yes, sometimes they can discriminate because of your age: for example, if there's another law which gives age limits - so if you are under 18 it's ok for a pub to say you can't work for them serving alcohol.

But, there aren't many situations where it is legal to discriminate against you at work. So if you think your employer is treating you differently because of your age: get advice!

Frank's story
'I was looking forward to our fancy new database system being up and running. I could see that it would save a lot of time and hassle. So I was stunned when my boss wouldn't even let me go on the training for it. 'Can't teach an old dog new tricks' he said. He reckoned that at my age I'd never cope with the change!'

Frank is being discriminated against because his manager is making assumptions about him based on his age. From October 2006 this kind of discrimination is illegal.

Are you ready to retire? Check out your new rights!

The 'assumed' retirement age is now 65 years. Your employer shouldn't normally ask you to retire before this. Even if your job contract says when you'll retire, they must still give you at least six months written notice of the actual date, and you can ask to carry on working after this. For more information on the new retirement procedure use the link on the right for Age Concern's mini-guide on age discrimination.

What can you do about it?

If you've been treated differently because of your age, get advice. Even if you can't see what good complaining might do, or are worried about making it worse, it could help more than you think. You may be able to sort it out informally with your boss, or may need to make your complaint more formal. Either way, talking it over with a professional can really help.

For a list of advice agencies and information on how they can help you see our guide: Do I need a lawyer?

See the links on the right for useful publications and websites with more information about anti-age discrimination.

September 2006