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by Sheldon Reid for HelpGuide.org
Facing discrimination because of your age can affect your mental and physical health, self-esteem, and finances. But there are ways to challenge ageism in both the workplace and in daily life.
Ageism involves stereotyping or discriminating against people based on their age and can occur both in the workplace and in your personal life. Ageism can be directed at older adults and young people alike. However, our culture tends to glorify youth, so older adults are more often the victims of age-based discrimination and negativity.
Ageism can take root early in life. Even as children, we begin to pick up on the idea that aging is an unsatisfying process and older adults are incapable of taking care of themselves. These messages can show up in the media we consume. Just picture commercials that promise to reverse “unsightly” age lines or television shows that depict older adults as clueless and frail. Ageist messaging can also be passed along through jokes and casual comments from family members and friends.
Ageism is often considered more acceptable by society than racism and sexism, but like those issues, it can’t be solved overnight. However, that doesn’t mean you should turn a blind eye and accept unfair treatment. There are many steps you can take to address the problem and challenge ageism. By doing so, you not only improve your own well-being, but you also help create a more open-minded culture in which stereotypes hold less sway and discrimination is less prevalent.
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