Society is divided according to whatever criteria - from nationality to gender, from social level to sexual orientation. It would seem that there is nowhere else to go, but inventive people always find reasons to consider someone worthy of condemnation or disdain. Ageism is just one such phenomenon that occurs in almost all countries of the world, with rare exceptions. The situation is most favorable in the Scandinavian countries, where the active fight against any discrimination has already brought abundant results.
What is ageism?
Translated from English “age” means “age”. We are talking about discrimination based on age, and in the vast majority of cases, problems arise among the older generation. In modern society, ageism has flourished so rampantly that it is already perceived as a normal state of affairs. People don't even notice how unfair they are to those who are older. And the point is not at all about some nominal respect or honor.
For some reason, old age is considered something shameful and terrifying. Older people are attributed stupidity, absurdity, uselessness and inertia of mind, young people quite seriously believe that after reaching a certain number of years lived it is impossible to be either smart, beautiful, or successful.
History of ageism
The term appeared in the second half of the 20th century, thanks to the head of the US National Institute of Aging. In 1969, R.N. Butler used this word to refer to what is called "age discrimination." In social life, the age criterion is of great importance.
In particular, to enter into sexual relations or to perform certain duties, people who are too young or old do not yet, or no longer, have the same rights as other segments of the population. Here is a brief history of the emergence of the concept of ageism, who coined the term, now you know, all that remains is to figure out who ageists are.
Age discrimination has always existed. This phenomenon is as old as humanity itself. It was just previously taken for granted. It is logical that in a primitive society, old and no longer healthy people could not successfully hunt and obtain food for the tribe. They were given the humiliating role of maintaining the fire and feeding on scraps. It was a rare old man who could boast of a privileged position in society; this could only be achieved by having the status of a priest, sorcerer, or healer.
Although the concept of ageism itself was formulated only in the 20th century, the phenomenon as such has a centuries-old history. Especially when you consider life expectancy in earlier times. The most useful members of society were men and women of childbearing age, and they were in the prime of life and sexual attractiveness, although not for long. The body wore out much faster, due to an unhealthy lifestyle for some, and hard physical labor for other segments of the population. Women aged earlier due to frequent childbirth and complications, which are now successfully treated.
With the development of medicine and the improvement of living conditions, the age range has expanded and those who were previously considered old are now considered to be quite young people, capable of childbearing, having sexual attractiveness and possessing the professional skills necessary in modern society.
A small but striking example from the classics: the old money-lender from the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky was about 60. Nowadays it would never occur to anyone to call a sixty-year-old woman an old woman. Only an ageist is capable of this, and even then only with the goal of insulting an older person.
Youth as a prerequisite
Young people are cherished everywhere - this is what was sung in one song from the times of the USSR, and in it the old people were given honor. Probably, at some point, everything was taken too literally, and older people were asked to literally not get in the way. Youthful freshness has become a primary requirement in literally all areas of life. To get a job or to achieve success in any way, you need to exude youth, and wrinkles or natural gray hair have been equated with ugliness.
In Russia, ageism is seriously different from a similar phenomenon in Europe or America. If there the forty-year mark is considered the very beginning of maturity, then in our country, for some mysterious reason, these far from decrepit years were declared the threshold of old age. This should not be considered an ordinary harmless delusion; a huge beauty industry thrives on age discrimination - nowhere else do they siphon so much money out of an unfortunate pair of wrinkles.
Fighting methods
In the post-Soviet space, the fight against ageism is not yet as active as in the West. For example, in America, women over 50-60 strive to be seen, first of all, as colleagues and employees, so if there is no dress code in the office, they will wear comfortable clothes that do not attract attention.
While, for example, in Russia, most ladies strive to look catchy, proving that they have not yet lost their sexuality and femininity, that they cannot yet be “written off.” That’s why they wear bright makeup, purple hair, and sometimes choose things that are more appropriate for teenagers than for adults.
At the moment, if you make a children's film or cartoon in the United States that contains negative elderly characters, the director and the company itself risk getting a lawsuit.
Just remember the well-known image of Baba Yaga; almost every very old and thin grandmother is associated with her. Many children are afraid of them precisely for this reason, suspecting them of evil intentions.
Lookism, sexism and ageism
We have to admit that through stereotypes only an illusory picture of life emerges. All “annoying” factors are put somewhere outside the brackets, they try not to notice them, ignore them. For example, lookism is discrimination based on appearance. Inconsistency with the generally accepted canons of beauty, the wrong height, weight or body proportions is already a reason to throw a person out of the circle of privileged individuals.
Sexism in the vast majority of cases goes hand in hand with misogyny. Gender oppression is one of the signs of a deeply patriarchal society, in which women seem to be indispensable, but at the same time, “a chicken is not a bird, a woman is not a person.”
All examples of ageism are in one way or another connected with lookism and, to a large extent, with sexism. If a woman is no longer a young nymph, but still does not meet the parameters suitable for gloss, the pressure of society can become unbearable. Perhaps only strong-willed, self-sufficient individuals do not suffer from this.
Examples of ageism
Most often, ageism manifests itself in the form of prejudices at the everyday level, for example, many people consider all older people to be grumpy and behind the times. But this phenomenon can also acquire a much larger scale, in which significant groups of people are disadvantaged in their rights due to age at the state level.
Thus, in youth, almost everyone is accused of immaturity and lack of life experience. Often in a workforce of young specialists, older employees do not want to listen; their suggestions are usually ignored, and sometimes they are openly mocked and not trusted with responsible tasks. In addition, when applying for a job, experience is almost always required, and young people who have recently completed their studies generally do not have it.
But with older people, things are not so simple. Most employers have a sharply negative attitude towards them, because they consider older workers to be not very smart and energetic. In addition, almost all employers, like many young people, are firmly convinced that older people have a poor understanding of modern technologies and do not know how to handle computers and office equipment at all.
Another clear example of ageism is the attitude towards older people in the fashion industry. On the pages of the vast majority of clothing catalogs, only young and fit people appear , and for everyone else who does not fit into the proposed standards, it is quite difficult to choose beautiful and stylish clothes for themselves. And this applies primarily to older people, who are ordered to simply live out their lives as they please.
Reasons for age discrimination
Psychologists note several main factors that can lead to manifestations of ageism. People tend to fear old age, when illnesses begin and death approaches. I don’t want to be like all these old people with their petty interests. Ageism is not only discrimination, it is also the fear that one might end up in the place of the oppressed. It turns out to be a classic vicious circle: all anxious feelings and sensations are expressed in the desire to distance themselves as much as possible from approaching old age, transferring the negative attitude from the phenomenon to other people who have already left their youth behind.
Ageism manifests itself in different ways at work. It is believed that if a person has not taken a leadership position by the age of forty, then he is a loser and a bad professional. Of course, this is a fallacy; everyone cannot be a boss, and good performers are worth their weight in gold. However, the collective subconscious may be stronger.
Ageism at work
Ageism at work manifests itself more often in relation to people who have not advanced much in their career ladder. Of course, not everyone wants to become a manager, and not everyone needs it either socially or financially, but the team may subconsciously make it clear that your years have been wasted.
In employment, ageism is present in so many companies that it is the norm rather than the exception in the HR system.
Ageism in Russia
Ageism in Russia is a special case. For us, old age begins almost at 40. European women at this age approach maturity, and ours mysteriously approach old age. In developed countries, where ageism is being fought, the image of old age itself does not have such a pronounced negative connotation. This largely depends on the level of healthcare, the economy and social security, of course.
Let's continue about us. You can often see teasers on the Internet on the topic, look how great she looks at 40. Although, in fact, it would be strange to think that “in your 40s” you can not look beautiful.
Don't think that there is some kind of mistake or typo here. Little tricks like these will lead to big profits from the sale of anti-aging products.
Employment problems
If you open a job site, an unsightly picture emerges. The vast majority of vacancies are aimed at people under thirty years of age. Sometimes the upper limit is moved five years higher. An employer who is ready to hire people under forty is already considered progressive. Despite the fact that the right to work is guaranteed to citizens of working age up to the retirement age, in practice ageism in hiring is present in the vast majority of companies.
Formally, an applicant can defend his rights in court, but it is extremely difficult to prove that he was not hired precisely because of his age. And even if you manage to turn the matter in your favor, then how can you work in an organization where you had to get a job through the court?
Psychological difficulties
With an increase in the number of signs of age, some people may experience worsening anxiety conditions; periods of sadness, apathy, and even depression cannot be ruled out. “Why live if I’m no longer young” is not a rare complaint. In psychology, ageism is not only the desire to elevate oneself by discriminating against someone based on age. It is also a distinct self-hatred if the mirror begins to dispassionately report that a birthday is a sad holiday.
Everything turns out to be closely connected. If you sincerely consider older people to be narrow-minded and inert, believing that they can no longer be interested in something new, love, have fun and have sex, then upon reaching this age, a distinct self-loathing is inevitable.
Anti-aging as a product
It is on psychological characteristics that the anti-aging beauty industry is based. In this case, ageism is the best driver of trade. They sell everything that can postpone a terrible period, hide wrinkles, return the “glow of youth” to the skin, tighten everything, eliminate gray hair. But this is not only cosmetics, it is also quite expensive procedures, plastic surgeries, sports programs, shapewear, a huge assortment of fashionable clothes, accessories and gloss that sings along with the rhythm of sales, assuring that if you do all this, old age will not come.
As long as the best compliment for a woman is to clearly understate her age, anti-aging will continue to sell. But is this trap really effective only for the fair sex? Alas, men are just as susceptible to age stereotypes and begin to desperately look younger, just to delay the moment when they will be called old.
Fear of death
Ultimately, any manifestation of ageism is a concentrated sense of the finitude of human life. If we exclude accidents and serious illnesses, old people have a kind of monopoly on death. From the point of view of the young, they seem to be under the shadow of an approaching death, and this cannot but depress them. In many ways, this impression is illusory, it is far-fetched - at any age you can perfectly enjoy life and be interested in something new. Of course, compared to the rhythm of life of young people and their mobility, it may seem as if the finish line is already looming somewhere, beyond which lies the unknown and oblivion.
In countries where manifestations of ageism have practically disappeared, the image of an elderly person is not associated with such a depressing gloomy overtone as it is in ours. This largely depends on social security, the level of healthcare and other factors. As an example, we can cite the principle of age selectivity in the provision of medical services, which has not yet been eradicated from us. While a young taxpayer, as a promising citizen, will certainly be treated and saved, a person of retirement age too often hears the mention of old age as a diagnosis. Indeed, why save someone who is no longer profitable.
Changing public opinion and challenging stereotypes helps make the social climate more positive overall, so why not start with ageism?
Ways to combat ageism
The fight against ageism is a complex and lengthy process, which may even require government intervention and the adoption of appropriate legislative decisions. However, not all problems can be solved by banal prohibitions, especially when we are talking about prejudices that have long been and firmly rooted in the public consciousness. Changing mentality may take tens or even hundreds of years, but you can fight age discrimination yourself by adopting the tips and recommendations below:
- Start with yourself. First, try to get rid of your own biased attitude towards both young and old people;
- Develop yourself. Spend more time on self-development and self-education, because the status of an educated, thinking and well-read person will not only make you an interesting conversationalist for representatives of all age groups, but will also protect you from reproaches of inexperience and ignorance;
- Learn to defend your own opinion. As you know, the truth is born in a dispute, but it must not only be found, but also justified. To do this, you will need self-confidence and a willingness to defend your own position, supporting every word spoken with facts;
- Try to get out of your comfort zone. There is now a lot of talk about leaving the comfort zone, often, and not always to the point, but the essence of this phenomenon is quite simple - there is no need to be afraid of innovations and be afraid to change your usual way of life and thinking.
Naturally, the fight against ageism is a long and complex process that requires an integrated approach. But by eradicating age prejudices in yourself once and for all, you can avoid a number of serious psychological problems when you yourself (which inevitably) find yourself among the elderly.
