Ageism

Ageism is bias against a person or group on the grounds of age. When that bias is the primary motivation behind acts of discrimination against that person or group, then those acts constitute age discrimination.

The two common forms

Although ageism can refer to bias against any age group, ageism (and age discrimination) are usually focused on either of two targets, the actual age limits being vague:

Young people (Ageism against adolescents is also called "Adultism"), stereotypically calling them immature, insubordinate and irresponsible. In its worst forms, it is also known as "Ephebiphobia".
The elderly, stereotypically calling them slow, weak, dependent and senile.

Examples

Age discrimination

Age discrimination in employment may differ somewhat from race and gender discrimination, in that it does not usually take the form of wage discrimination. Older workers, on average, make more than younger workers do. Firms may be afraid to offer older workers lower wages than younger workers. Instead they will simply not promote or not hire an older worker. They may also encourage early retirement or layoff disproportionately older/more experienced workers.

Although, like all forms of discrimination, age discrimination has always been a problem, it is most severe at present in the entertainment and computer industries. Many elderly actors, musicians, scriptwriters, programmers, and electrical engineers have all complained that it is difficult for them to find work, even though they are well-qualified in terms of education and experience.

Age discrimination in hiring has been shown to exist in the United States. Joanna Lahey, Economics professor at Texas A&M, found that firms are more than 40% more likely to interview a younger job applicant than an older job applicant [1].

In a survey for the University of Kent, England, 29% of respondents stated that they had suffered from age discrimination. This is a higher proportion than for gender or race discrimination. Dominic Abrams, Social Psychology professor at the University, concluded that ageism is the most pervasive form of prejudice experienced in the UK population. Here is an Age Concern survey: How Ageist is Britain? (PDF).

In a recent interview, famed actor Pierce Brosnan cited ageism as one of the contributing factors as to why he was not cast as James Bond in the upcoming Bond film, Casino Royale, to be released in 2006 [2].

Responses

Grass-roots activism

Many groups have been set up in various countries to combat age discrimination, including:

United Kingdom

United States
- Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions
- Gray Panthers: In the early 1970s, Maggie Kuhn formed the Gray Panthers, an organization with a goal of eliminating ageism in all forms.
- National Youth Rights Association

Unions

Many unions have thrown themselves into the battle against age discrimination. At present, the most prominent example is the Writers Guild of America West, which since 2002 has been waging a huge legal battle against much of the entertainment industry to get rid of the age discrimination commonly faced by elder scriptwriters.

Laws

Some countries enact laws against age discrimination, including:

Related -isms

Jeunism is the tendency to prefer younger candidates over equally or even better qualified older ones, as tends to happen e.g. in politics or certain commercial functions, in a cultural environment that admires the vitality and physicial beauty of youth, while the actual functions rather require moral or intellectual qualities.

External links

Emplaw.co.uk section on Age Discrimination