Ageism: Discrimination Against the Elderly

I just found a site that I thought I would share it is http://www.myseniorportal.com/ On the site is an article on Ageism, which is hard to find so I thought I would post it here and include the links to other sites that discuss this issue.

Robert Butler, in the 1960’s, created the term, "Ageism," which he defined as being, "A process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplish this with skin color and gender. Old people are categorized as senile, rigid in thought and manner, old-fashioned in morality and skills. Ageism allows the younger generations to see older people as different from themselves; thus they subtly cease to identify with their elders as human beings."

We will take an active role in creating an awareness of this issue and become a meaningful voice in eradicating this form of sterotyping an important part of our population. We will catalog pertinent articles and developments in this area to maintain the importance of addressing this form of discrimination.

We invite you to comment by posting on our blog or writing to us at Ageism.

Websites dedicated to a focus on Ageism

Ageism Hurts, which we would like to share with you. While the site is still under development, there are many interesting articles to be found.

This Chair Rocks, pushing back against ageism - which affects everyone.

The Everyday Ageism Project. Research by EURAGE shows that across the European region, ageism is the most commonly experienced from of prejudice.

Articles of interest on the topic of ageism

• The New (Malevolent) Ageism talks about the fact the elderly have never been honored in American society, they have more often been stereotyped, stigmatized and pitied. 
• 
  
• Aging Quiz - Check yourself to see how well you are able to separate fact from fiction for common beliefs held by most individuals in the United States.

• Ageism - A Personal Reflection a personal perspective on how the perception of aging has evolved. 

• Ageism - A Study in Canada an indepth look at some of the issues surrounding ageism 

• Ageism Hinders Some Jobworkers an indepth look at some of the issues surrounding ageism 

• Ageism is More Widespread Than Sexism based on a study in London. 

• Is Ageism Widespread in the Workplace? the perception of vulnerablity for workers in the 55+ category. 

• Think About It: Ageism Addressing the issue of ageism; are jobs only open to the younger generation? 

• The Issue of Ageism in America Today a primer on Ageism. 

• Was Our Country Always So Youth Oriented? a brief history of how the elderly have been stereotyped over time. 

• Yale Study Among Facebook Users finds bias against elderly people. 

• How Do We Get Past Ageism? provides some ideas to overcome the discrimination.

• Ageism: Discrimination Against the Elderly is a type of discrimination that's prevalent, and it has nothing to do with the color of the skin, religion or socio-economic status.

• Age Discrimination Laws and Information covers Federal laws of age discrimination. 

• Henry Cisneros Wants to Design Cities for All Ages where aging in place considerations as well as mixed communities should be planned for the future. 

• Time to End Ageism ageism refers to ideas, attitudes, beliefs and practices on the part of individuals that are biased against persons or groups based on their older age, and needs to come to an end. 

• Researchers chart new path for study of ageism and found the idea that understanding intergenerational tension is key to understanding ageism. Ageism is the one kind of discrimination in which those who are generally doing the discriminating — younger generations — will eventually become part of the targeted demographic. 

• Creative Encounters with Aging 71 percent of Canadians surveyed stated that older people are less valued in society. 60 percent of seniors age 66 and older reported that they had personally experienced age-based discrimination. Worse, 20 percent of those surveyed actually stated that older Canadians constitute a burden on society. Ageism is perhaps the most tolerated form of social prejudice and discrimination in many countries around the world, and in the midst of an ageing global population it is poised to become one of the most significant social problems of the 21st century.