Ageism Awareness Day
October 2024
What is Ageism?
Ageism refers to stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) toward others or ourselves based on age.
It negatively impacts our health and well-being, our financial security, and the economy. It exists in many forms, influencing everything from personal interactions to public policy, and it impacts us at every age.
How Ageism Shows Up
Internalized: How we feel about ourselves as aging people; and ageism in which older adults marginalize and discriminate against other older people
Implicit: Unconscious bias that includes attitudes, feelings and behaviors toward people of other age groups that operates without conscious awareness or intention
Interpersonal: Ageist comments and behavior that happen between people when they interact. Can be implicit and unconscious or conscious. May be negative, but can also come from positive intent still based on stereotypes
Cultural: Everyday, invisible, profoundly ingrained and normalized negative messages about aging and old people embedded in movies, TV, songs, jokes, etc.
Institutional: Unfair age-based restrictions in laws, policies, and practices of public and private institutions
How to Bring Awareness
Share facts about ageism
Share stories to shed light on ways we can be more age-inclusive in our lives and careers
Reach out to local media and government officials
How Does Ageism Harm Us?
Ageism harms our financial well-being. Older workers face long periods of unemployment, discrimination during the hiring process, and fewer professional development opportunities.
AARP estimated $850 billion in lost gains to the GDP as a result of involuntary retirement, underemployment, and unemployment among older workers.
Also estimated that ageism caused $63 billion in healthcare costs in just one year. Older adults are not included in clinical trials and less likely to receive preventative care, negatively impacting how older adults seek and receive care.
Three strategies work in reducing or eliminating ageism: policy and law, educational activities, and intergenerational interventions.
Policy and law can address discrimination and inequality on basis of age
Educational activities can enhance empathy and dispel misconceptions
Having young people make more intergenerational contact with older people outside of immediate family can promote positive attitudes towards aging