Whenever I read articles like this I immediately think motherhood. It's great in theory.

But for those of us outside in the real world, the discrimination just goes on and not just for older workers. I've seen and experienced the treatment of older workers. Until I changed my CV, by deleting my earlier work experience, I was not being approached for interviews. As soon as I made the CV change, interview requests started to occur. However, the tone quickly changed from the interest at the phone interview when you arrived for the face-to-face interview. The interest evaporated very quickly.

As for all the nonsense about diversity, look at the repeated articles commenting on discrimination of women, especially if they (and their families) need any flexibility around child care, schooling etc. This discrimination applies to men as well. How many men are given any flexibility in this area? That's what you're meant to have a wife for?

Many employers are good. Unfortunately enough of them are bad to give a bad impression overall. As for the recruitment agencies, any comments are best not spoken in polite company.

DKit

I find it bizarre that corporations recruit on the basis of a lifetime of service but that they are driven by operational policies that make that lifetime of service increasingly unlikely. As workers, we are often told that the old compact between business and workers is broken; that the average school leaver now can expect to have 10-15 jobs during their lifetime. Yet somebody seems to have forgotten to tell Business, or at least the recruiters, about this new paradigm. Of course this is symptomatic of an increasingly lazy Australian corporate culture, driven more by ego and reputation than any sort of rational thought process, much less systemic policy.
Unfortunately, changing this paradigm, as the women's rights cause has shown, is not merely a matter of time but consistent pressure. Only by keeping these issues in the public spotlight can we ensure that change not only occurs, but that it keeps occurring. And while we might not enjoy the full benefits of our efforts, it does not excuse us from doing our best to make these changes.