Ageism

Ageism – the stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination against people on the basis of their age – is a widespread and insidious problem that has harmful effects on older adults.

Structural and institutional ageism can be manifested in many forms, such as in the workplace and recruitment processes, stereotypes in TV and advertising, access to health services, and in the marketing of products. Ageist themes can include pitting age groups against each other, reducing people to stereotypes, and portraying later life as a time of frailty and decline.

Want to learn more about challenging ageism? Watch this video about our Age-friendly communications principles.

Ageism is bad for individuals and bad for society. It means that people potentially limit themselves in how much they can enjoy their longer lives and the activities they do. It also means that our economy and labour market are not realising the full potential of older workers and consumers.

We also know that the language we use matters, as it can influence how others think, which can in turn influence policy choices and decisions. To help support organisations in challenging ageism, we set out some practical steps.