CATEGORY: BUSINESS

GROUP: 1. JOBS/PEOPLE/ORGANIZATIONS
Topic: 7. Discrimination
Introduction:
Federal and state laws in the United States dont allow companies to discriminate
against a person based on race, religion, nationality, age, gender, handicap, or sexual
orientation. Companies are not allowed to ask you for a picture or to ask you about
your ethnic origin, children, political affiliation, age, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Dialogue:
Kays dad is 58, and he just got fired from his job. He was a very good employee, but
now he has lost all of his retirement benefits and salary. Kay doesnt understand how
this could happen and is trying to talk to her dad about it.

Kay: Dad, I cant believe you lost your job. What are you going to do?
Dad: I know, I know. I dont know what Ill do, Kay. I guess Ill have to figure something
out now. I dont have a retirement plan to rely on anymore, so I guess Ill have to
depend on Social Security.
Kay: I just cant believe that theyd fire you after you worked so hard for the company
for 33 years.
Dad: It wasnt that much of a shock to me, with all of these young kids moving up the
ladder.
Kay: What do you mean, Dad?
Dad: Well, Im 58 now, which is considered too old to be a good employee anymore.
My company is hiring 21 year olds to fill all of the top management positions. Ive
worked there for so long, and now they just throw me out the door. Its age
discrimination.
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Kay: Is that why they said they fired you? Because of your age?
Dad: No, no. They cant openly fire someone because of their age, thats illegal. They
said I had made too many little mistakes over the years, which is not true. I know
the real reason is because they think Im too old now.
Kay: I dont understand. Why would a company want to fire people with years of
experience and many skills and replace them with young people with no
experience?
Dad: Thats how it is nowadays. Companies think that youthful employees will do a
better job, and that they will work more hours. Plus, companies dont want to pay
the expenses for the retirement plans of retired workers, so they just fire them
right before they reach retirement. Just like me.
Kay: That just seems so wrong. If age discrimination is illegal, isnt there something
you can do? Cant you sue the company?
Dad: You know, I was just talking to my friend Mark--whos a lawyer--about that. He
told me there is something called the Age Discrimination in Employment Act
which is supposed to protect employees from things like what has happened to
me. He said that there are employees who have sued companies for age
discrimination and won in court. There are other employees who got lots of
money in out-of-court settlements.
Kay: Really?
Dad: Yep. Thats what he said.
Kay: Have there been a lot of successful lawsuits against age discrimination?
Dad: Mark says there have. More people are speaking out if they think they have
been a victim of age discrimination. In the past, employees that were fired
because of their age often kept quiet, but more and more of them are taking legal
action today.
Kay: Well, what are you going to do?
Dad: I havent quite decided. Im going to read more about this age discrimination act
and talk more to Mark about it to see if I really have a case. I need to do
something quickly because your mother and I will have no money to live on
without my pension.
Kay: Im so worried. I can give you the little bit of money I have in my savings account.
It s not a lot, but it might help a little.
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Dad: Thats nice of you sweetheart, but dont do that. Well figure something out. Well
be OK.
Kay: Could you get another job?
Dad: Id like to, but at my age, its too late to start down another career path. No one
would hire me at age 58.
Kay: Oh, I see I guess thats the problem.
Dad: Im meeting with Mark again on Friday, so Ill keep you in the loop about whats
going on.
Kay: OK, Dad. If theres anything you want me to do, let me know.
Dad: Thanks, honey. I will. Anyways, I need to get my mind off this for a little while.
Do you want to go for walk around the lake with me?
Kay: Sure!
Dad: OK, grab your coat and lets go.

Vocabulary:
social security: a government program that gives monthly payments to the elderly
fire: to terminate employment
moving up the ladder: to get promoted to better and higher positions in a company
speaking out: talking
pension: retirement plan
keep you in the loop: to let someone know the progress of a situation periodically

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever been discriminated against?
-Yes, at some local markets, you are allowed to negotiate prices before you
decide to pay for something. I noticed that some other people of a different race
were getting cheaper prices than me for the same thing that I bought from a
vender.
2. What are some kinds of discrimination? Which are common in your country?
-There are many kinds age, gender, sexual orientation, race, and nationality.
In the United States, many kinds of discrimination exist. For example, minorities
are sometimes discriminated against. This is common.

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3. Why do you think discrimination exists?

-I think, maybe it exists because some people are scared of people or things that
are different from them. If people look or act differently or think differently from
them, maybe they just cant understand. Since they cant understand and dont
know how to deal with it, they are unkind or unfair and discriminate against
others.
4. What should be done to stop discrimination?
-I think laws and education can stop discrimination. We need to teach children to
accept all people, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, etc. If children are
educated, they will grow up to be understanding adults.
5. Do you think males and females should be equal in the workplace?
-Yes, I do. I think that males and females can be equally educated and possess
the same level of skills and abilities. Both are capable of successfully performing
many jobs. So, I think they should be treated and paid the same at work.
6. Are men paid more than women in your country?
-Yes, sometimes. Occasionally, men are paid more than women for doing the
same job. Nowadays, this is not so common, but in the past it was.
7. What would you do if you were fired from your job because of your age or your
sexual orientation?
-I would be very upset if this happened. I think I would try to become more
educated on the laws concerning discrimination and try to see a lawyer. If I was
unfairly fired due to discrimination, I think I would fight the company to get my job
back.
8. Would you marry someone from a different religion to you?
-Yes, I would. I think religion is only a small part of a person. If I loved the whole
person, then I wouldnt not marry them just because they had a different religion.
9. Would you let your child marry someone with a different skin color?
-Yes, I would. Finding someone you love is the most important thing in life. You
cant choose who you love. So, if my child loved someone who had a different
skin color, I would be happy to see them get married.
10. If you owned a company, would you hire someone who was 50? Why or why
not?
-Yes, I would. If the person were the most qualified and best candidate for the
job, I would hire them even if they were 50. Just because someone is younger,
doesnt mean they would do a better job. I would rather have an excellent worker
for 5 or 10 years at my company than a bad one for 30 years.

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