The Age of Ageism

Abstract

This article discusses how research on ageism has gained more attention, especially as the baby boomers have started retiring, shepherding in an era that some call “the graying of America.” As the population of the country aged 65 and over is projected to double by 2030, it is especially important to study and help reduce age prejudice, so that the lives of older people can be improved. The papers presented in this issue represent some of the best empirical and theoretical work on the influence of ageism on the workplace environment and on healthcare for the older adult. These papers are summarized, and their recommendations for change in policy, law, and education are further highlighted.

Gendered Ageism in Australia: Changing Perceptions of Age Discrimination among Older Men and Women

“…Even when older workers are recruited, negative age stereotypes tend to restrict the willingness of employers to invest in their ongoing education or training in the workplace (Nelson, ). Faced with scarce training resources, employers tended to invest more in younger workers than older ones (North & Fiske, ).…”

The AGE model: Addressing ageism in the workplace through corporate social responsibility

“…As we showed in this article, ageism is an “ism” that often goes overlooked because it is a bias that all individuals can potentially experience, thereby giving it more latitude, so‐to‐speak. Because of this and because it has become what Nelson () terms as institutionalized, then, it is not viewed as a prejudice. The mere fact that it has become institutionalized may indicate that a certain level of prejudice may already exist.…”

“…As mentioned earlier, ageism might be more pervasive in the world today than racism or sexism (Ayalon, ; Banaji, ; Rupp et al, ; WHO, ). At the same time, it is also more difficult to detect (Levy & Banaji, ) and compared to other “isms” in society, appears to get a “free‐pass,” so‐to‐speak, because old age is something that everyone in the population has an equal chance of attaining (Nelson, ). Consequently, ageism is largely ignored and generally accepted (Angus & Reeve, ).…”

“…As suggested in Nelson's (), overview of ageism research, company policies, and programs aimed at dispelling beliefs about older workers is a step toward reducing intergenerational tension as well, thereby growing via our AGE framework. For example, in research conducted by North and Fiske (), which Nelson addresses, he suggests that when younger workers perceive that older people are taking up their jobs, this exacerbates the tension.…”

Service Learning in Human Development: Promoting Social Justice Perspectives in Counseling

“…Many myths about aging are assumed to be true without additional consideration, leading to a "commonsense reality" about old age or older people that is then perpetuated throughout a society (Angus & Reeve, 2006, p. 141). Moreover, scholars argue that ageism is currently met with less disapproval than racism or sexism (Cuddy & Fiske, 2002;Nelson, 2016;Palmore, 2005), although more recent empirical research is needed to substantiate this hypothesis. Nevertheless, research indicates that views about aging are becoming more negative (Ng et al, 2015).…”