AGEISM: the growing problem in contemporary society.

The World Health Organization and other UN agencies claim that stereotypes, negative perceptions, and other forms of discrimination, known as ageism, cause social isolation for the elderly and worsen their health; these entities want urgent action to combat this problem.

The United Nations have released a report warning of the impact of prejudice against old age on legal, social, and health institutions and systems.

Every second, a person in the world suffers “moderate or high” prejudice for being in old age.

Michelle Bachelet, Commissioner for Human Rights, said that ageism harms everyone: young and old; she classified this problem as “a fundamental violation of human rights” and indicated an intense and immediate fight against ageism. Brachelet added that discrimination against older people is often accepted and encompassed in policies, legislation, and institutions.

That report revealed that the price of discrimination against the elderly is very high and cited the costs of around US$ 63 billion in 2020 in the USA, with people over 60 years of age because of stereotypes. More impressive are the data from Australia: the report indicates that if 5% more people 55 years of age or older were employed, there would be an addition of about US$ 38 billion to the economy.

That report also shows that, in the workplace, young and old people are often at a disadvantage. Training opportunities for older people are less. There is prejudice against younger people, in the areas of health, housing, and policies that ignore their desires.

Companies usually do not promote or hire older workers and may encourage them to voluntarily adhere to layoff plans or disproportionately fire older and more experienced workers.

Joanna Lahey, a professor at Texas A&M University, reports that there is age discrimination in hiring in the United States; the likelihood of a young candidate being interviewed by a company is 40% higher than that of an elderly candidate.

In a survey conducted by the University of Kent (England), 29% of respondents reported having experienced age discrimination and this proportion is even greater than discrimination by gender or race. Dominic Abrams, a professor at that university, concluded that ageism is the most widespread form of prejudice experienced by the population of the United Kingdom.

There is still a “compulsory retirement” in many companies, forcing the professional to leave the organization when completing a certain age, even if he is doing his job correctly.

The occurrence of ageism tends to increase in the coming years if we take into account that the age pyramid in the vast majority of countries is inverting because we are living more and having fewer children. This has been cited as a longevity revolution. In many countries, the population over 65 years of age already represents about 25% of the general population.

This means that it is extremely important to talk repeatedly about this topic as well as to change the way we measure the value of a professional and certainly still change the way to measure the value of people in general.

Many benefits could be achieved if cooperation between generations was encouraged; this can minimize conflicts in the work environment. Like an apprenticeship, perhaps the HR departments of companies should “revisit” the film “The Intern” (with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway).

All credits for the term ageism should be attributed to physician Robert Neil Butler (1927–2010). This psychiatrist and gerontologist, since college, was concerned with age prejudice and “created” in 1969 the term ageism. He also presented the three pillars of ageism: harmful attitudes against the elderly and the aging process, discriminatory practices against the elderly, and institutional policies and practices that harm those who are over 60 years old.

Dr. Butler led the National Institute on Aging, the Department of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and the International Longevity Center and conducted a lot of research, including research on senility, when he demonstrated that senility does not necessarily participate in aging. Dr. Butler postulated that it is possible to age in a healthy way.

But, think about it, have you not already practiced ageism?

Ageism is very present in our society. See the examples below and answer for yourself whether or not you have already practiced ageism:

• When a woman is criticized because she keeps her hair white or does not care about her wrinkles; this is ageism.
• When we are not patient with the pace of older people in the direction of the vehicles, in listening to an elderly person’s narrative about an event, in following an elderly person’s walk (his slowest walk); this is ageism.
• When older people’s preferences are defined as “older people’s preferences”; this is ageism.
• When a family does not accept, because of their age, that the father, mother (or even grandfathers) start a new relationship or look for a new professional activity; this is ageism.
• When we treat the elders in an infantilized way or even we refer to the elders in an infantilized way; this is ageism.
• When an experienced professional, with an excellent curriculum, does not get placement because he is past 50 years old; this is ageism.

You have probably remembered a few more examples.

Nowadays ageism is so evident that the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, recently spoke saying that the world must get rid of these stereotypes, preventing discrimination from hindering people’s access to health, dignity, and well-being.

Age discrimination has always been a problem and is present even in the cinematographic and theatrical arts industries. Older actors, musicians, screenwriters, programmers, and electrical engineers complain about the difficulty of getting work, even when qualified and experienced.

Ageism affects even the most renowned.

In a recent interview, the famous actor Pierce Brosnan cited that ageism was one of the factors that contributed to his not being cast as James Bond in the movie Casino Royale, released in 2006 (at that time, the actor was only 53 years old).

To conclude, let us resume Palmore’s observations (2004): “Ageism is considered the ultimate prejudice, the last discrimination, the cruelest reaction and the third great “ism” after racism and sexism”.

References

• GOLDANI AM — “Ageism in Brazil — Rev Bras Est Pop, Rio de Janeiro, vol 27 (2), p 385–405, Jul-Dez 2010.
• DUARTE J — https//www.uai.com.br/notícias-brasil.255964/ageismo-voce-tem-preconceito-contra-os-mais-velhos.shtml
• PALMORE EB — Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, n 19, p 41–26, 2004