Ageing, Ageism and Discrimination Lyn Ryan PhD Candidate Department of Sociology Macquarie University Australia

Introduction My study is titled: Respect and Older Australians: Do older people in Australia believe they receive respect from contemporary Australian society and are they portrayed respectfully in contemporary media? When I first started this study I approached it from the simplistic viewpoint that disrespect and ageism is a cultural or a socio-economic status problem. However, the more I research this topic and talk to older people themselves the more I discover that it is a much more complex issue than that.

Ageism Ageism is a set of beliefs based in biological variations amongst people, and relating in particular, to the ageing process (term coined by R. Butler in 1969) Biological age is used to oppress and discriminate against ordinary people (prejudice). Ageism formed an important paradigm in Western society and culture. Ageism has been around for centuries: Cicero argued against ageist stereotypes in 44BC. ‘they find life wearisome’, ‘they move away from active work’, ‘they are deficient in sensual pleasures’ and ‘they are worried about the nearness of death’. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Older: Definition Social context can determine the definition of “older”. In developed nations an older person is identified as someone who has retired and is usually over the age of sixty-five years (Kurrle et al., 1992) Some developed nations define a person as being older from as young as sixty years of age (Doe et al, 2009). Indigenous women in Australia are classified as older from the age of forty-five years due to their lower life expectancy in comparison to the life expectancy of non-indigenous women (McFerran, 2008).

What does it mean to grow older? The third age (a term first used in last 1990s) occurs after paid employment, when child bearing and rearing have ended, and before people have begun to decline into ill-health and frailty. (Gilleard and Higgs (2005) The fourth age is described as the decline into ill-health and frailty, however, is this expectation of declining into ill-health and frailty simply another form of ageism? I have spoken to people over the age of 90 who are not experiencing either ill-health or frailty and I have spoken to people in their early 70s who experience both. Ill-health and frailty are therefore not simply signs of biological ageing.

Intimate Sphere versus Public Sphere My respondents all talk about feeling respected by the family and friends with whom they are in contact, and they emphasise mutual respect. Within their intimate spheres they feel respected. Some of my respondents feel they are “treated nicely” by Centrelink (which is the Government body in Australia responsible for social welfare for older Australians), so even within the institutional sphere they are not necessarily feeling disrespected However, all my respondents discussed being careful about where they went, who they spoke to and avoiding certain areas especially at night but also during the day.

Public Sphere Some of my respondents talked of being helped and respected in the public sphere near the own homes. All my respondents were not as sure of being treated respectfully in the public sphere within certain geographical areas e.g. Sydney city. I have therefore begun to ponder the possibility that social distance and “othering” may have a direct impact on ageism and discrimination. As a early stage researcher in this area I would like to throw that question across to you my audience: do you believe that this is a possible explanation?

Popular Media Women over the age of 55, including women who never had children, are called “grandmother” or “granny” in the popular media which is both ageist and sexist (men over the age of 55 are not referred to as “grandfather” or “grandpa”). Movies and advertisements are increasingly using older people e.g. RED, Helen Mirren, age 66 holding a machine gun and using it; McDonalds ads, other ads.

Conclusion Ageing, ageism and discrimination are a very complex group of constructs. Older people are experiencing ageism and discrimination in contemporary societies. However, Western societies are beginning to change.