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Discrimination, labour markets and the labour market prospects of older workers: what can a legal case teach us?

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  • Sally A. Weller

    (Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, sally.weller@vu.edu.au)

Abstract

As governments become increasingly concerned about the fiscal implications of the ageing population, labour market policies have sought to encourage mature workers to remain in the labour force. The `human capital' discourses motivating these policies rest on the assumption that older workers armed with motivation and vocational skills will be able to return to fulfilling work. This article uses the post-redundancy recruitment experiences of former Ansett Airlines flight attendants to develop a critique of these expectations. It suggests that policies to increase older workers' labour market participation will not succeed while persistent socially constructed age- and gender-typing shape labour demand. The conclusion argues for policies sensitive to the institutional structures that shape employer preferences, the competitive rationality of discriminatory practices, and the irresolvable tension between workers' human rights and employers' property rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Sally A. Weller, 2007. "Discrimination, labour markets and the labour market prospects of older workers: what can a legal case teach us?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 21(3), pages 417-437, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:21:y:2007:i:3:p:417-437
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017007080006
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sally Weller & Michael Webber, 2004. "Ansett Airlines Employees: A Preliminary Survey of Post-Retrenchment Outcomes," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 14(2), pages 305-330, January.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1962. "Investment in Human Capital: A Theoretical Analysis," NBER Chapters, in: Investment in Human Beings, pages 9-49, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Becker, Gary S., 1971. "The Economics of Discrimination," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 2, number 9780226041162, September.
    4. McKeown, Timothy J., 1999. "Case Studies and the Statistical Worldview: Erratum," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(4), pages 815-815, October.
    5. Yoram Ben-Porath, 1967. "The Production of Human Capital and the Life Cycle of Earnings," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75(4), pages 352-352.
    6. Rainer Knopff, 1986. "On Proving Discrimination: Statistical Methods and Unfolding Policy Logics," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 12(4), pages 573-583, December.
    7. Vincenzo SPIEZIA, 2002. "The greying population: A wasted human capital or just a social liability?," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 141(1-2), pages 71-113, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael McGann & Rachel Ong & Dina Bowman & Alan S Duncan & Helen Kimberley & Simon Biggs, 2016. "A Gendered Analysis of Age Discrimination among Older Jobseekers in Australia," Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Working Paper series WP1601, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School.
    2. Aysha Fleming & Claire Mason & Gillian Paxton, 2018. "Discourses of technology, ageing and participation," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Michael McGann & Rachel Ong & Dina Bowman & Alan Duncan & Helen Kimberley & Simon Biggs, 2016. "Gendered Ageism in Australia: Changing Perceptions of Age Discrimination among Older Men and Women," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 35(4), pages 375-388, December.

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