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Age discrimination has negative effects on health, according to the WHO.
One in two people in the world discriminates against the elderly because of their age.
In Mexico, many companies restrict opportunities to those over 35 years of age.
We currently live in a world that has been transformed for the good of many communities and movements, so the issue of discrimination and inclusion is on everyone’s table. This can be seen reflected in the stories of people who have suffered due to some characteristic of their physique, as is the case of a television host in Canada, who was fired from her position for leaving gray hair in her hair, causing many brands to come to her defense.
Despite everything that has arisen around cases of discrimination around the world, there are still people who suffer from it every day. Many of those are seniors, who may be turned away when looking for a job.
The refusal of companies to hire people over 45 years of age is increasingly recorded. An investigation by the Department of Public Administration Studies of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (El Colef) details that in Mexico many companies restrict access to employment opportunities to people over 35 years of age, reducing the hiring possibilities to only 10 percent of the available spaces. While, for people over 55 years of age, the percentage of getting a job is reduced to only 0.5 percent of the available labor supply.
For his part, the president of the Mexican Association for Non-Discrimination in Labor by Age or Gender (ANDLEG), Javier Vázquez Robles, referred in an investigation that 90 percent of the vacancies offered leave out those over 35 years of age. All this, despite the fact that denying a job on the grounds of age is prohibited by the Constitution and the Federal Labor Law.
The case of the dismissal of a TV presenter for having gray hair
The story that moves to Canada has generated much controversy in the world. reporter Lisa LaFlamme, who has anchored the daily news on CTV News since 2011, announced his abrupt departure from the show due to discriminatory dismissal.
Through a video published on social networks, LaFlamme says that he was “shocked” when Bell Media ended her contract with CTV National News after 35 years, a “business decision that will take the role of lead news anchor in a different direction.”
I have some news… pic.twitter.com/lTe3Rs0kOA
— Lisa LaFlamme (@LisaLaFlamme_) August 15, 2022
After being one of the most famous faces in Canada, the news caused controversy, where, a few days after the announcement on networks, a report from the Canadian newspaper El Globo y el Correo exposed one of the alleged reasons for the break between the chain and its star presenter. According to the investigation, it would be, among other things, Lisa LaFlamme’s hair color that would have cost her her job, for her choice not to use more dyes and show off her natural white hair.
Internet users and brands in favor of white hair
The dismissal and the alleged cause have been strongly criticized throughout the country, where at first it was the Internet users and faithful viewers of the 58-year-old veteran journalist who turned to social networks to criticize the action of the television network.
Also, with the days, many international brands such as Dove or Wendy’s Canada have joined with campaigns on their social networks, to protest the discrimination suffered by women with gray hair when they are removed from their jobs.
Fast-food giant Wendy’s updated its social media profile pictures, swapping the woman’s historic red hair color for a shade of gray.
Because a ⭐️ is a ⭐️ regardless of hair colour. #LisaLaFlamme #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/g7i7kqwYrw
— Wendy’s 🇨🇦 (@WendysCanada) August 25, 2022
Dove Canada reacted with a campaign urging people to change their profile pictures to grey, in support of those who choose to embrace their gray hair.
Age is beautiful. Women should be able to do it on their own terms, without any consequences 👩🏼🦳👩🏾🦳 Dove is donating $100,000 to Catalyst, a Canadian organization helping build inclusive workplaces for all women. Go gray with us, turn your profile picture greyscale and #KeepTheGrey pic.twitter.com/SW5X93r4Qj
— Dove Canada (@DoveCanada) August 21, 2022
“Women with gray hair are being pushed out of the workplace. So Dove turns gray. Together we can support women aging beautifully on their own terms. Join us: gray out your profile picture and tag #KeepTheGrey,” reads a video posted by the brand on social media.
The brand of hygiene and personal care products also announced that it will donate 100 thousand dollars to Catalyst, a Canadian organization that helps create inclusive workplaces for all women.
These types of reactions demonstrate the importance of educating people today to reduce discrimination, which is why brands are more aware of all the problems that are experienced socially and seek to help with initiatives and campaigns.
A clear example can be when the #BlackLivesMatter movement was carried out in the United States, after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Police during an arrest in Minneapolis. On that occasion, which were days of protests by the citizens of that country, many companies, brands and personalities joined with campaigns, such as Sony, Nike, Amazon, or the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand conveyed their rejection of racism and the “culture of white supremacy.”
This is how brands are joining important movements with which they seek to make known and support the most vulnerable in this society.
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