Elements of Ageism 3: Annoying assumptions about older people
In 2017 Australia’s Benevolent Society published a foundational report, The Drivers of Ageism, which guided the national anti-ageism campaign, EveryAGE Counts.
Drawing on previous research about ageism, that report’s literature review identified three facets of ageism:
- prejudicial attitudes towards the aged,
- discriminatory practices against older people in employment and other domains, and
- institutional policies and practices which perpetuate stereotypic beliefs about older people.
These three facets are widely cited as the working definition of ageism, having been developed by the US gerontologist attributed with coining the term ‘age-ism’ in 1969: Robert N. Butler.
Thinking about ageist stereotypes and prejudices, in 2024, National Seniors Australia asked thousands of older Australians:
“Are there assumptions our society makes about older people that particularly annoy you?”In all, 2135 people answered the question with a comment.
This report summarises the 16 themes present in their responses by reproducing a selection of comments verbatim.
It illustrates the ways older people feel maligned or stereotyped in Australia today because of their age.
