Age

Relevant EU Directive:

Directive 2000/78/EC.

Discrimination on the basis of the protected ground of age is a widespread and damaging phenomenon, according meaning to chronological age such that people all too often judge or assess a person’s capacity, ambition and worth on the basis of their age.

As a ground of discrimination, age has a different character to other non-discrimination grounds due to the broad range of exceptions provided for by the Employment Equality Directive (2000/78/EC).

Examples can include a national provision under which a level of pay for civil servants is determined by reference to age at the time of recruitment or a national provision that deprives an employee of the right to receive a severance payment when they could claim an old-age pension.