Age belongs in Article 1 of the ConstitutionAdd age as a discriminatory basis to Article 1 of the Constitution.

This is what Henk Krol advocates. Dozens of countries preceded us. Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Serbia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, among others, have already explicitly recognised age as non-discrimination grounds in their Constitution. It is time to add the Netherlands to this row. Not getting a job because you were too old is just as bad as not getting a job because you have a certain skin color. The scale of age discrimination in the labour market is enormous. More than 30% of employers say in their vacancies that they are looking for school leavers, starting staff or people with up to three years of work experience. Such texts are already prohibited under the Equal Treatment Act under age in the labour. The College of Human Rights puts it short and powerful: "Seeking a young candidate is still too obvious and the disadvantage of older applicants is widely accepted." Our society therefore leaves experience and knowledge of seniors unused. Too many employers stick to the prejudice that over-50s are more likely to be ill, less flexible and uneducated. The opposite is the case. They are not sick more often, and also super motivated and loyal to their employer. A very painful example of age is 'ageshaming', putting someone away as inferior because of his age. Just think of the established stereotype of the "angry old man." Why shouldn't an old man give his opinion when he's angry about something? Or think of older women. Botox is obviously completely wrong, but wrinkles too. It is no exception if an older woman is killed on social media after a television appearance. Ageshaming is not only malicious for the individual victim, but also for society as a whole. Young women can – consciously or unconsciously – conclude that their chances cease at some point, as if they no longer count in society at some point. In the debate on this subject, there was a great deal of attention in the House of Representatives for the proposal of 50PLUS of the SP, GroenLinks, CDA and the Christian Union, among others. Several parties first want an opinion from the Council of State, after which the Chamber will vote on the proposal. The CDA stated that there are a lot of balls in the Christmas tree, as age is also added to Article 1. My opinion? The more balls, the nicer the tree! Chairman of the House of Representatives 50PLUS© 13 December 2019 - Also placed in the AD