Understanding Ageism
According to the late Dr. Robert Butler, who coined the term in 1969, ageism is “age discrimination or… prejudice by one age group toward other age groups” (p. 243). More recently, the World Health Organization in 2021 defined ageism as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.”
There are four types of ageism according to Dr. Butler, who served as the President and CEO of the International Longevity Center (Dennis & Thomas, 2007; Sporre, 2019):
Personal ageism is “an individual’s attitudes, ideas, practices, and beliefs that are biased against older people” (Dennis & Thomas, 2007, p.84)
Institutional ageism is the “established rules, missions, and practices that discriminate against older individuals or groups based on age” (Dennis & Thomas, 2007, p.84)
Intentional ageism is “attitudes, rules, or practices that are held, implemented, or engaged with the knowledge that they are biased against older people” (Dennis & Thomas, 2007, p.84)
Unintentional ageism occurs when someone is unaware they are being ageist because they do not recognize their bias (Dennis & Thomas, 2007)
Ageism happens often, with about 82 percent of older Americans reporting experiencing ageism, although it often goes unrecognized. A person may mention having a “senior moment” or refer to the “gray tsunami,” or note they are “65 years young.” These types of statements actually convey ageist messages in one way or another.
Ageism has significant implications for people’s health and longevity. Check out this infographic about “everyday ageism and health” created by the National Poll on Healthy Aging Team at the University of Michigan.
Ageism can occur anywhere, but it is commonly experienced in the healthcare and workplace environments (Rogers et al., 2018, Terrell, 2018). Ageism presents in health care when providers dismiss pathology as a normal part of aging, speak to a caregiver rather than the patient, use infantilizing language or elderspeak, treat aging as a disease, and in other ways (Nemiroff, 2022). Ageism occurs in the workforce when someone loses a job because of their age or is refused a job because they are presumed to be incapable based on their age (Terrell, 2018). Other examples of ageism are more subtle, for example attributing forgetfulness to age, targeting marketing only to younger adults, and assuming older adults are generally the same as one another (Community of Vermont Elders, 2021).
When products are designed to “fight aging,” the creators of those products are perpetuating ageist messages. There are several other ways that ageism manifests in the everyday lives of people of all ages. When people internalize negative messages about being and growing older, their own health suffers and they are likely to treat older adults as less than human.
There is training available to help people recognize and combat the ageist messages they have internalized. The Gerontological Society of America offers Ageism First Aid, which is an online tool available to anyone who wants to learn more about ageism and how they can avoid it.Resources/Reference List