In everyday life
Ageism is often hidden in plain sight, embedded in everyday conversations, media, and even our workplaces.
It’s so normalised that we often don’t see it for what it is. Together, we can change that.
Notice it
The first step to combatting ageism is noticing it. Look for it in:
- Language: Listen out for phrases like 'too old for this' or 'act your age', which perpetuate stereotypes. Compliments like 'you look great for your age' suggest that looking good and ageing don’t go hand-in-hand.
- Everyday conversations: Look out for negative assumptions, like older people being bad at technology or less adaptable to new situations. Take our quiz to find out how ageism affects everyday life.
- Media: How often do you see older people in advertising or on TV? Are they depicted in diverse and dynamic roles, or reduced to clichés such as being frail, forgetful or as the butt of jokes? Do they only appear in adverts for products aimed at older people (such as stair lifts and pension plans)?
Questions like 'do you use email?' when I’ve worked with computers for 30 years! Or 'can you get up the stairs?' or 'do you need assistance?' It’s low-level but people constantly underestimate your abilities.
Challenge it
Once you notice it, challenge it. Every action we take to challenge ageism takes us a step closer to ending its negative impact. Change begins with conversations:
- Start discussions: Talk about ageing and ageism at home, work, and in your community. The more we talk about ageism, the more we get this issue in the open and start to change it. Sharing our personal stories can be powerful.
- Question language: Avoid phrases like 'having a senior moment' when speaking about ourselves. Younger people don’t feel the need to say 'junior moment' when they forget something, so there's no need to highlight age when it happens to us.
- Confront assumptions: We can all challenge comments like 'you shouldn’t be doing that at your age'. Why not? Whether it’s lifting weights or learning to code, age doesn’t define capability. It doesn't always feel easy but every time we challenge ageist language and assumptions, we start to create change.
- Call for better representation in media and advertising: Just one in four TV adverts feature characters aged 50 or older and one in 20 feature characters aged 70 or older. Support content that portrays ageing as the diverse and dynamic experience it is. Call on the media and advertisers to portray people of all ages fairly, avoiding lazy old-age stereotypes.
TOP TIP - Social media can be an effective tool in highlighting ageist language and assumptions. Use the hashtag #AgeWithoutLimits and start questioning ageist stereotypes.
In conversations
Whether you speak with family and friends, start a conversation with people in your community or at work, when more of us talk about ageism, more of us are aware of it, and the less people will experience being treated negatively because of their age.
In the media
How often do you get frustrated when you see media stories about ageing that rely on lazy stereotypes about older age as an inevitable time of decline and frailty?
Find out how you can join our call for the UK press regulator to include age in its rules around avoiding discrimination.