Ageism refers to prejudice or unjust treatment against someone based on his/her age. Despite being a widespread social issue, ageism is not taken as seriously as other forms of injustice like racism or ableism.
There are various examples of age discrimination in our daily lives. For instance, many employees deny recruiting applicants who are either too old or too young. Assumptions that older people are irrelevant, unproductive or set in their ways are also an example of age discrimination.
Ageism can come in many different forms, varying from structural injustices to disrespect in one-on-one interactions. The different types of ageism are institutional ageism, interpersonal ageism and internalized ageism. Institutional ageism occurs when institutions practice ageism through their policies and practices. Interpersonal ageism occurs in social situations. And internalized ageism refers to a situation when people internalize ageist beliefs and apply to themselves.
Ageism has detrimental effects on people’s health. It is also a cause of several mental health problems, social isolation and misery, financial insecurity, low-quality life, and early death in older individuals. Ageism is believed to be a cause for almost 6.3 million cases of depression worldwide, and also delays the healing of physical diseases.
Ageism may make people more financially vulnerable. Ageist managers or colleagues may prevent people from advancing in their careers. Also, because of an individual’s age, s/he may not be given the opportunity to work on different projects. Fraudsters are also more likely to target the elderly because of preconceptions about old people’s abilities. These scams have negative impacts beyond monetary loss. Such traumatic situations can cause extreme anxiety, guilt and grief.
However, it is crucial for the elderly to understand that they do not have to keep up with the harmful effects of such discrimination, no matter what position they find themselves in.
According to WHO, there are three ways to overcome ageism: intergenerational interventions, educational programmes, and changes in law and policy. Intergenerational interventions foster cooperation and empathy between age groups. Educational programmes dispel misconceptions and ageist stereotypes and create awareness among people about ageism. Laws and policy reforms are a step towards mitigating inequality and discrimination.
There is no justification for people to face discrimination because of their age. People can take several steps to deal with internalized ageism. First, they have to be positive. A positive attitude goes a long way in overcoming ageism. People should enjoy and take advantage of the wisdom and experience that come with age.
They should be as self-sufficient as they can. They will fail to achieve anything if they assume that they cannot do work just because of their age. If people continue to take care of themselves, they will not lose their skills. They should buy something and dine at eateries.
Ageism can also be fought by enrolling in a class at a gym or a community college with younger students. It is also important to remember that aging is a normal part of life. In other words, old age is a sign of experience, not weakness.
Whether a person is 10 months old or a hundred years old, they deserve love and respect.
The writer is a freelance contributor. He tweets khalidsmarti