By Alex Moore
Ageism. It’s a nasty word about a nasty phenomenon: Discriminating against people due to nothing more than how many years they’ve spent on earth. We often hear about it in the workplace. However, ageism doesn’t stop when you retire.
The Prevalence of Everyday Ageism
According to a study published in the peer-reviewed healthcare journal JAMA Open Network in 2022, about 93 percent of older adults experience some form of ageism every single day as they go about their lives.
About 60 percent said they regularly hear, see, or read jokes about old age, aging, or older adults. Meanwhile, 40 percent say they regularly experience at least one form of ageism in their personal interactions, such as people assuming they struggle with cell phones and computers or assuming they cannot remember or understand things. Perhaps most concerning of all, more than 80 percent of older adults experience internalized ageism, which means holding ageist beliefs against themselves.
Ageism’s Effects on Health
The effects of ageism shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s more than hurting seniors’ feelings. The Jama Open Network study found that experiencing higher levels of everyday ageism has statistically meaningful associations with increased symptoms of depression and chronic health conditions. It also found a connection to weaker physical and mental health overall.
Let’s Fight Ageism Together
So, what does everyday ageism look like and what can we do about it?
The first place to start is knowing where to look. According to Age Without Limits, a British campaign to fight ageism, this form of discrimination is so normalized that we often can’t see it for what it is. Age Without Limits suggests looking for ageism in:
- Everyday language.
- Misleading or incorrect assumptions about older people.
- How older people are represented in the media and on TV.
Once you’ve recognized ageism, it’s time to challenge it. There’s a good chance that the person being ageist doesn’t even realize they’re doing it. It could even be you! To step up and fight ageism, Age Without Limits recommends that you:
- Have conversations about ageism at home, work, and in your community.
- Learn more about how ageism affects real people’s lives.
- Avoid using negative phrases and stereotypes about older people, whether it’s for yourself or others.
- Promoting and sharing content on social media or in person to get more people thinking and talking about the issue.
- Contacting media and advertisers to pressure them to show people of all ages fairly and avoid stereotyping older people.
