A Provocative Argument for Mandatory Retirement
In this excerpt from 'Aging Thoughtfully,' a law professor makes his case
(Adapted from AGING THOUGHTFULLY: Conversations About Retirement, Romance, Wrinkles, and Regret by Martha C. Nussbaum and Saul Levmore. Copyright © 2017 by Martha C. Nussbaum and Saul Levmore and published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)
It is unlikely that I will be as good at my job at 75 as I was at 55, and yet my employer might be stuck with me. An employer generally cannot require an employee to retire, even at a respectable age such as 68; mandating a retirement age as a condition of employment will be regarded as engaging in age discrimination.
Not only am I likely to be less useful to my employer at 75 than at 55, my compensation at the older age will greatly exceed what I earned at 55. Employers correctly fear that if they decrease or even flatten the salaries of aging employees, they will trigger age discrimination suits.
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