Take action against ageism this International Women's Day
04/03/25
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At the Age Without Limits campaign we frequently hear – from research and lived experience – how ageism is felt differently by women than by men. This International Women’s Day, with its focus on being “for ALL women and girls” feels like a good time to consider how older women experience negative treatment because of a combination of age and gender.
We know that ageism is often compounded by other ‘isms’ that an individual might experience, and sexism is certainly one of these: women are more likely to feel invisible, patronised and not valued than men, and are more likely to experience all the most common forms of ageism than men. Some of the most common reported experiences are being told “you look good for your age”, or “aren’t you too old to wear that?” – which are clearly connected to the different standards by which society tends to judge women’s appearance – especially as we grow older.
The fact many of us women increasingly feel ‘invisible’ as we age is perhaps not surprising given the lack of representation of older women in the media. Female characters aged 65 years and over remain more than three times less likely than men of the same age to be featured in British films over the last decade. Also women over 50 spoke 14% less than older men in our sample of films from the last year. Demi Moore’s recent critical acclaim and commercial success for her role in The Substance has been much celebrated – and it’s brilliant to see increasing recognition of older women in lead roles (not to mention, in this case, in a film connected to ageism itself). We love to see it! What we’d love to see much more, though, is a world where women like Moore, Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton) or Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show) are not the exception to the rule. It shouldn’t have to be surprising or exceptional that brilliantly talented high-profile women over 50 are the stars of hit films and shows, especially in complex and diverse roles.
Likewise, how often do we see older women portrayed positively or even realistically in advertising? Unfortunately, lazy stereotypes persist: did anyone see the ‘doddery but dear’ caricature of older women brought to life in Christmas ads from IKEA (granny falling asleep on sofa) or Lidl – older woman with walking stick in the ‘kind old granny’ mould? Indeed, older women are often defined by our familial relations – as grannies, mostly – rather than by our own characteristics or achievements beyond our families. This is where sexism and assumptions about women’s roles and likely interests combine to create a double-whammy of stereotyping.
“What’s wrong with just being an older woman? Lots of people over 50, or 60, or 70 aren’t grannies anyway. Why should you be defined by your family relationships? It’s condescending and patronising!” - female respondent, how the media misrepresents older people research.
We are lucky enough to work with some brilliant and inspirational women as part of our campaign who are sharing their stories and defying expectations for “women of a certain age”:
“Women are more vulnerable to this, I think. It’s ok to be a little old granny, but if you try to do other things, get involved, speak up, it’s not acceptable. It’s as though you’re expected to retire not just from the workforce but life”, says campaign supporter, Sabe.
“Ageism is insidious. There’s no multibillion-pound industry devoted to creams to make your skin look older. That tells you about the pressure – more on women than men – to be a younger, untouched commodity. There’s so much pressure not to look your age, to be young is to be beautiful. For women, you especially become more invisible to men, and I feel that the status of men is so much more valued as they age, as opposed to women.” - Age-positive activist, Mindy.
Age Without Limits aims to show that, however dispiriting ageism feels – especially when combined with sexism – we can come together to take positive action and create change. We can all notice ageism when we see and hear it (for example, comments from others, in the media, or at work), challenge it when we feel able to do so; find more advice on how here – and together create a better future for us all: for ALL women, and girls who will be older women one day too.
Written by Harriet Bailiss, Co-head of the Age Without Limits campaign at the Centre for Ageing Better.
To celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March we have created a gallery in our free image library dedicated to realistic and diverse images of older women. Take a look here.