Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against people based on their age. It's a systemic form of oppression, but unlike other causes of inequity, such as racism, sexism, or ableism, anyone can experience it. It typically applies to people who are older but can also affect young people. Ageism has a negative impact on physical and mental health and reports link it with earlier death. Although it is universal, people do not always take ageism as seriously as other forms of inequity.
Recent studies have shown that one in every two people in the world is believed to have ageist attitudes which attribute to the poorer physical and mental health and reduced quality of life for older people, costing societies billions each year, according to a new United Nations report on ageism.
Ageism leads to poorer health, social isolation, earlier deaths and cost economies billions: report calls for swift action to implement effective anti-ageism strategies - United Nations
Types of ageism
There are many ways to categorise and describe ageism. Below we list 3 common types:
Institutional ageism, occurs when an institution perpetuates ageism through its actions and policies
Interpersonal ageism, which occurs in social interactions
Internalised ageism, which is when a person internalises ageist beliefs and applies them to themselves.
Data from surveys has found that 82% of older people reported experiencing ageism regularly. The survey found that:
65% experienced ageist messages from the media
45% experienced interpersonal ageism
36% had internalised ageism
How to stop ageism
The World Health Organisation states there are three ways to combat ageism:
Education to dispel myths and stereotypes
Intergenerational interventions, which create cooperation and empathy between age groups
Law and policy changes, which can reduce inequity and discrimination
Ageism can range from subtle actions to blatant acts of discrimination. A few signs of ageism include:
Exclusion from a group, such as at school or at work
Being passed over for promotions or raises
Being laid off or forced to retire
Negative comments about a person's age
Having your input or ideas ignored or dismissed
Losing out on benefits such as paid time off
Not having access to learning opportunities
Conclusion
Let's take action to combat ageism and encourage organisations and communities to have better measurement and reporting to expose ageism for what it is – an insidious scourge on society. Ageism towards younger and older people is prevalent, unrecognised, unchallenged and has far-reaching consequences for our economies and societies, if we stand together and fight this insidious scourge on society with preventive measures we can combat ageism. Join the ageist movement!
If you or someone you know is experiencing discrimination because of your age check out these useful Links:
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