BEDI Resources
Definitions & Key Terms
Ageism: Narrowly defined, ageism is a process of systematic stereotyping, prejudice, and/or discrimination against a category of people based on their age (Butler, 2006; Bytheway, 2005; Palmore, 2001). According to this narrow definition, ageism is similar to other “-isms,” because younger groups of people often use stereotyping, prejudice, avoidance, and discrimination when interacting with aging individuals (Butler, 2006; Bytheway, 2005; Rupp, Vodanovich, & Credé, 2005).
In a broader context, Bytheway (2005) defined ageism as “a set of beliefs about how people vary biologically as a result of the aging process” (p. 339). This broader definition includes how this set of beliefs can generate and reinforce a lifelong fear of the aging process, how the fear of aging can lead individuals to unconsciously project presumed associations between age and competence onto other age groups, and how such projections can underpin the actions of both individuals and organizations toward different age groups (Bytheway, 2005; Terry, 2008).Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice
Generational Differences: Generational differences in societies are characteristics generally attributed to people's age that constitute a sociocultural phenomenon. Divisions in the generations differ across nations and extend even to civilizations. Perception and recognition of the different characteristics of each generation affect the cooperation between people in social, political, and economic capacities, and subsequently extend to entities in the public, informal, commercial, and nongovernmental sectors
Generation defines a community of individuals belonging to an age group of people born around the same time period (usually within one year). Generations are often perceived as “historical” communities with a certain hierarchy of values, attitudes, and common momentous experiences such as war, change(s) in the social system, and economic crises. Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice
Ageism
Age Discrimination and Diversity by
This volume of essays is concerned with the discrimination against older people that results from a failure to recognise their diversity. By considering the unique combinations of discrimination that arise from the interrelationship of age and gender, pensions, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic class and disability, the contributors demonstrate that the discrimination suffered is multiple in nature. It is the combination of these characteristics that leads to the need for more complex ways of tackling age discrimination.
ISBN: 9781139115384Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Ageing, Diversity and Equality by
Current understandings of ageing and diversity are impoverished in three main ways. Firstly, with regards to thinking about what inequalities operate in later life there has been an excessive preoccupation with economic resources. On the other hand, less attention has been paid to cultural norms and values, other resources, wider social processes, political participation and community engagement. Secondly, in terms of thinking about the 'who' of inequality, this has so far been limited to a very narrow range of minority populations. Finally, when considering the 'how' of inequality, social gerontology's theoretical analyses remain under-developed. The overall effect of these issues is that social gerontology remains deeply embedded in normative assumptions which serve to exclude a wide range of older people. Ageing, Diversity and Equality aims to challenge and provoke the above described normativity and offer an alternative approach which highlights the heterogeneity and diversity of ageing, associated inequalities and their intersections. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781351851329, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 licence.
ISBN: 9781315226835Publication Date: 2018-10-31
Ageism Unmasked by
Why do we still tolerate stereotypes and discrimination based on age? This bold account of the history and present-day realities of ageism by a nationally recognized gerontologist and speaker uncovers ageism's roots, impact, and how each of us can create a new reality of elderhood. Ageism Unmasked shifts the lens, enabling us to see that we tolerate, and sometimes actively promote, attitudes and behaviors toward differently aged people that we would reject and condemn if applied to any other group. It peels back the layers to expose how cultural norms and unconscious prejudices have seeped into our lives, silently shaping our treatment of others based on their age and our own misconceptions about aging-and about ourselves. Offering an all-inclusive approach, Dr. Tracey Gendron reveals the biases behind our false understanding of aging, sharing powerful opportunities for personal growth along with strategies to help create an anti-ageist society. . Ageism Unmasked will help readers let go of our desperate need to stay young... exposing how we personally, systematically, structurally, and institutionally stigmatize being old. . Ageism Unmasked will help readers appreciate both the challenges and opportunities of how we all age... showing how ageism is prejudice towards both younger and older people. . Ageism Unmasked will help readers reset our expectations for getting old... providing the tools to anticipate and experience elderhood as a time of renewed meaning and purpose, empowering each of us to create our own definition of successful aging. Ageism Unmasked continues Dr. Gendron's transformative work inspiring people of all ages to embrace aging as our universal and lifelong process of developing over time - biologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually.
ISBN: 9781586423223Publication Date: 2022-03-01
Agewise by
Let's face it: almost everyone fears growing older. We worry about losing our looks, our health, our jobs, our self-esteem--and being supplanted in work and love by younger people. It feels like the natural, inevitable consequence of the passing years, But what if it's not? What if nearly everything that we think of as the "natural" process of aging is anything but? In Agewise, renowned cultural critic Margaret Morganroth Gullette reveals that much of what we dread about aging is actually the result of ageism--which we can, and should, battle as strongly as we do racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. Drawing on provocative and under-reported evidence from biomedicine, literature, economics, and personal stories, Gullette probes the ageism thatdrives discontent with our bodies, our selves, and our accomplishments--and makes us easy prey for marketers who want to sell us an illusory vision of youthful perfection. Even worse, rampant ageism causes society to discount, and at times completely discard, the wisdom and experience acquired by people over the course of adulthood. The costs--both collective and personal--of this culture of decline are almost incalculable, diminishing our workforce, robbing younger people of hope for a decent later life, and eroding the satisfactions and sense of productivity that should animate our later years. Once we open our eyes to the pervasiveness of ageism, however, we can begin to fight it--and Gullette lays out ambitious plans for the whole life course, from teaching children anti-ageism to fortifying the social safety nets, and thus finally making possible the real pleasures and opportunities promised by the new longevity. A bracing, controversial call to arms, Agewise will surprise, enlighten, and, perhaps most important, bring hope to readers of all ages.
ISBN: 9780226310732Publication Date: 2011-04-15
Childism by
In this groundbreaking volume on the human rights of children, acclaimed analyst, political theorist, and biographer Elisabeth Young-Bruehl argues that prejudice exists against children as a group and that it is comparable to racism, sexism, and homophobia. This prejudice—“childism”—legitimates and rationalizes a broad continuum of acts that are not “in the best interests of children,” including the often violent extreme of child abuse and neglect. According to Young-Bruehl, reform is possible only if we acknowledge this prejudice in its basic forms and address the motives and cultural forces that drive it, rather than dwell on the various categories of abuse and punishment. “There will always be individuals and societies that turn on their children," writes Young-Bruehl, “breaking the natural order Aristotle described two and a half millennia ago in his Nichomachean Ethics." In Childism, Young-Bruehl focuses especially on the ways in which Americans have departed from the child-supportive trends of the Great Society and of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Many years in the making, Childism draws upon a wide range of sources, from the literary and philosophical to the legal and psychoanalytic. Woven into this extraordinary volume are case studies that illuminate the profound importance of listening to the victims who have so much to tell us about the visible and invisible ways in which childism is expressed.
ISBN: 9780300173116Publication Date: 2012-01-10
Generations by
A groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the six generations that currently live in the United States and how they connect, conflict, and compete with one another--from the acclaimed author of Generation Me and iGen. The United States is currently home to six generations of people: -the Silents, born 1925-1945 -Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964 -Gen X, born 1965-1979 -Millennials, born 1980-1994 -Gen Z, born 1995-2012 -and the still-to-be-named cohorts born after 2012. They have had vastly different life experiences and thus, one assumes, they must have vastly diverging beliefs and behaviors. But what are those differences, what causes them, and how deep do they actually run? Professor of psychology and "reigning expert on generational change" (Lisa Wade, PhD, author of American Hookup), Jean Twenge does a deep dive into a treasure trove of long-running, government-funded surveys and databases to answer these questions. Are we truly defined by major historical events, such as the Great Depression for the Silents and September 11 for Millennials? Or, as Twenge argues, is it the rapid evolution of technology that differentiates the generations? With her clear-eyed and insightful voice, Twenge explores what the Silents and Boomers want out of the rest of their lives; how Gen X-ers are facing middle age; the ideals of Millennials as parents and in the workplace; and how Gen Z has been changed by COVID, among other fascinating topics. Surprising, engaging, and informative, Generations will forever change the way you view your parents, peers, coworkers, and children, no matter which generation you call your own.
ISBN: 9781982181611Publication Date: 2023-04-25
Generation Z by
No other generation in history has received as much coverage as the Millennial generation. Books, Google searches, blogs, and news articles are everywhere about them. Yet, Generation Z is comprised of our youth and young adults today and has received very little attention comparatively. Those in Generation Z are among our youngest consumers, students, colleagues, constituents, voters, and neighbors. Being able to better understand who they are and how they see the world can be helpful in effectively working with, teaching, supervising, and leading them. Generation Z: A Century in the Making offers insight into nearly every aspect of the lives of those in Generation Z, including a focus on their career aspirations, religious beliefs and practices, entertainment and hobbies, social concerns, relationships with friends and family, health and wellness, money management, civic engagement, communication styles, political ideologies, technology use, and educational preferences. Drawing from an unprecedented number of studies with higher education research institutions, market research firms such as Pew and Census, other generational researchers and industry leaders, this is the authoritative defining work on Generation Z that market researchers, consumer behaviour specialists, and employers sorely need - and it is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the sociology of generations.
ISBN: 9780429809194Publication Date: 2018-11-02
In Our Prime by
Do you see women your age portrayed as puttering gardeners and docile grannies? Do you feel bombarded by anti-aging products that insist you must "defy" getting older? And have you had enough, and are ready to challenge the intertwining of sexism and ageism in our culture? Know that you are not alone.Susan J. Douglas declares that it is time for the largest female generation over fifty to reinvent what it means to be an older woman and to challenge the outdated stereotypes--think doddering or shrewish--that Hollywood and TV have assigned them. She zones in on how the anti-aging cosmetics industry targets older and younger women alike with their products, and how Big Pharma ads equate getting older with disease and decline. Douglas exposes the ageism that mature women face at work, and why conservatives' decades-long attacks on Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare disproportionately affect women.With a sharp sense of justice and fresh wit, In Our Prime sees a social movement emerging that may help to create a different view of--and life for--older women. It celebrates the women who broke down legal barriers in the past, as well as today's activists, career women, actors, and others who defy stereotypical images by embracing their age, by remaining strong, and by being socially involved.
ISBN: 9780393652550Publication Date: 2020-03-10
Leadership in Multigenerational Organizations by
It is assumed that workplaces today are the most age diverse that they have ever been, and as a result many managers report difficulties when leading intergenerational teams. Such problems can stem from several myths about generational divides in the workplace, and it is only in recent academic research that these misconceptions have begun to be dispelled. Despite these emerging perspectives, falsehoods are still perpetuated regarding generational groups. Leadership in Multigenerational Organizationsis an attempt to dispel some of these inaccuracies, whilst simultaneously suggesting ways in which different generations can be influenced to work cohesively and positively to accomplish organizational goals. To achieve this, academically supported leadership strategies are examined and applied to the age-related issues that can potentially arise in the workplace. Shifting the focus from assumed generational differences alone, this book considers evidence that calls into question whether intergenerational differences truly are evident in the workplace. Implementing the approaches in Leadership in Multigenerational Organizationsincreases the possibility of achieving age inclusive companies with improved workplace satisfaction, and ultimately stronger organizational cultures and overall performances. Urick provides specific strategies to influence members of multiple age groups, and the ideas provided here are applicable to almost all industries and organizational types, despite the continuously evolving generational landscape.
ISBN: 9781839827365Publication Date: 2022-07-18
The Next America by
The America of the near future will look nothing like the America of the recent past. America is in the throes of a demographic overhaul. Huge generation gaps have opened up in our political and social values, our economic well-being, our family structure, our racial and ethnic identity, our gender norms, our religious affiliation, and our technology use. Today's Millennials--well-educated, tech savvy, underemployed twenty-somethings--are at risk of becoming the first generation in American history to have a lower standard of living than their parents. Meantime, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring every single day, most of them not as well prepared financially as they'd hoped. This graying of our population has helped polarize our politics, put stresses on our social safety net, and presented our elected leaders with a daunting challenge: How to keep faith with the old without bankrupting the young and starving the future. Every aspect of our demography is being fundamentally transformed. By mid-century, the population of the United States will be majority non-white and our median age will edge above 40--both unprecedented milestones. But other rapidly-aging economic powers like China, Germany, and Japan will have populations that are much older. With our heavy immigration flows, the US is poised to remain relatively young. If we can get our spending priorities and generational equities in order, we can keep our economy second to none. But doing so means we have to rebalance the social compact that binds young and old. In tomorrow's world, yesterday's math will not add up. Drawing on Pew Research Center's extensive archive of public opinion surveys and demographic data, The Next America is a rich portrait of where we are as a nation and where we're headed--toward a future marked by the most striking social, racial, and economic shifts the country has seen in a century.
ISBN: 9781610393515Publication Date: 2014-03-04
Organizing Age by
Age is the silent shaper of work organizations and their human resource practices. It has become a potent feature of how society is structured and how it views itself. Age assumptions mould the behaviours of young and old alike, and are used as political tools by policy makers and managers.Organizing Age asks the perennial question - can age ever not matter?Drawing on range of social scientific and popular writings, this book casts a critical eye over the social construction and politicization of age in and beyond organizations. Amongst other topics, it discusses: the historical roots of age in society; how we 'perform' our age in different settings;the social impact of defining age groups as generations; ageism; the effect of an age-cluster on an organization's processes and members' experience; the rituals of retirement and the birth of the retirement industry; and the impact of the economic recession in challenging some of our assumptionsabout age as the growing 'grey' population becomes increasingly politicized.Organizing Age provides an accessible introduction to the current and emerging themes around this topic, which will be invaluable resource for students, academics, and policy makers.
ISBN: 9780199578047Publication Date: 2011-07-02
This Chair Rocks by
Author, activist, and TED speaker Ashton Applewhite has written a rousing manifesto calling for an end to discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age. In our youth obsessed culture, we're bombarded by media images and messages about the despairs and declines of our later years. Beauty and pharmaceutical companies work overtime to convince people to purchase products that will retain their youthful appearance and vitality. Wrinkles are embarrassing. Gray hair should be colored and bald heads covered with implants. Older minds and bodies are too frail to keep up with the pace of the modern working world and olders should just step aside for the new generation. Ashton Applewhite once held these beliefs too until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Lively, funny, and deeply researched, This Chair Rocks traces her journey from apprehensive boomer to pro-aging radical, and in the process debunks myth after myth about late life. Explaining the roots of ageism in history and how it divides and debases, Applewhite examines how ageist stereotypes cripple the way our brains and bodies function, looks at ageism in the workplace and the bedroom, exposes the cost of the all-American myth of independence, critiques the portrayal of elders as burdens to society, describes what an all-age-friendly world would look like, and offers a rousing call to action. It's time to create a world of age equality by making discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind of bias. Whether you're older or hoping to get there, this book will shake you by the shoulders, cheer you up, make you mad, and change the way you see the rest of your life. Age pride! "Wow. This book totally rocks. It arrived on a day when I was in deep confusion and sadness about my age. Everything about it, from my invisibility to my neck. Within four or five wise, passionate pages, I had found insight, illumination, and inspiration. I never use the word empower, but this book has empowered me." --Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author
ISBN: 9781250311481Publication Date: 2019-03-05
When Generations Collide by
BICKERING. BACK BITING. CLASHING. COLLIDING. JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE... If your workplace sometimes feels like a battlefield and your colleagues sometimes seem like aliens, you are not alone. Today there are four distinct generations of employees glaring at one another from across the conference table, and the potential for conflict and confusion has never been greater. In this insightful, captivating book, generational experts Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman shed much-needed light on how to bridge generational gaps at work by understanding the differences that drive generations apart. Traditionalist employees with their "heads down, onward and upward" attitude live out a work ethic that was shaped during the dark days of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, the eighty million Baby Boomers are at a crossroads, trying to balance their overwhelming need to succeed with their desire to slow down and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They alternate between admiration and abhorrence for the chutzpah demonstrated by Generation Xers, who, in addition to feeling as if they have to prove themselves constantly, are chafing under the image of being overly ambitious, disrespectful, and irreverent. Nipping at everyone's heels are the new kids on the block, the Millennials -- with their unique mix of savvy and social conscience, they promise to change yet again the landscape of the workplace. Whether you're a manager, an employee, an entrepreneur, or a skilled professional, you'll derive hands-on, take-home business benefits from understanding this vital form of diversity affecting today's high-performance workplace. Using a wry and practical approach to bottom-line business issues and drawing upon interviews, experiences, and the findings from their national survey, Lancaster and Stillman give you in-depth insights into each generation. With their help, you'll have the tools you need to recruit, retain, motivate, and manage each generation more effectively. And you'll recognize that while -collisions are inevitable, ultimately it's how we manage them that counts.
ISBN: 0066621062Publication Date: 2002-02-05
Background Articles
Popular Articles
Scholarly Articles:
- Ageism and Technology: The Role of Internalized Stereotypes (2021) University of Toronto Quarterly
- Ageism in an Aging Society: The Role of Knowledge, Anxiety about Aging, and Stereotypes in Young People and Adults (2019) Journal of Environment Research and Public Health
- The Language of Ageism: Why We Need to Use Words Carefully (2015) The Gerontologist
- Supporting the old but neglecting the young? The two faces of ageism (2020) Developmental Psychology
- End Ageism.comExplore resources from The San Francisco Reframing Aging Campaign, a collaborative effort to increase public awareness of ageism, disrupt negative stereotypes of aging, and connect residents with supportive resources and services.
- Global Campaign to Combat Ageism - ToolkitThis toolkit was designed for the Global Campaign to Combat Ageism. It will equip you with the necessary resources to learn about ageism, initiate your own conversations about this important topic in your community, organize events to raise awareness, and spread the word through social media to create #AWorld4AllAges.
- Old School"Old School is a clearinghouse of free and carefully vetted resources to educate people about ageism and help dismantle it. You’ll find blogs, books, articles, videos, speakers, and other tools (workshops, handouts, curricula etc.) that are accessible to the general public. Our goal is to help catalyze a movement to make ageism (discrimination on the basis of age) as unacceptable as any other kind of prejudice."
3rd Act Magazine endeavors to inform, inspire, and entertain older adults. Our stories and articles challenge worn-out perceptions of aging and offer a dynamic new vision: Aging is good, let’s celebrate and embrace this stage of life, and let’s age together with confidence.
AARP Bulletin, published 10 times per year by AARP, is the go-to news source for the 50-plus audience. Covering public policy, healthcare, employment security, consumer protection and AARP state and national news, AARP Bulletin delivers the stories behind key issues that affect the 50-plus. As a consumer-oriented news publication, AARP Bulletin provides the most pertinent information, and has become a must-read among congressional lawmakers and national opinion leaders.
AARP The Magazine is a bimonthly magazine published by AARP. It is the world's largest circulation magazine and the definitive lifestyle publication for Americans 50-plus. AARP The Magazine delivers comprehensive content through health and fitness features, financial guidance, consumer interest information and tips, celebrity interviews, and book and movie reviews.
Healthy Aging Magazine is the upbeat quarterly digital magazine targeting middle to upper-income men and women ages 45 and older. Each issue of Healthy Aging® Magazine features tips, techniques and resources for how to live a more healthy life.
- How to Overcome Generational Differences at WorkLearn why generations matter and 5 tips to overcome generation differences at work.
- Let's end ageism | Ashton ApplewhiteIt's not the passage of time that makes it so hard to get older. It's ageism, a prejudice that pits us against our future selves -- and each other. Ashton Applewhite urges us to dismantle the dread and mobilize against the last socially acceptable prejudice. "Aging is not a problem to be fixed or a disease to be cured," she says. "It is a natural, powerful, lifelong process that unites us all."
- TED Talks: Teens Experience Ageism TooA 2017 talk by Amelia Conway at TEDxManhattanBeach
- What’s Age Got to do with it? Realities and Solutions for Workplace AgeismThis webinar, hosted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Total Worker Health® Program and the National Center for Productive Aging and Work (NCPAW), takes a closer look at workplace ageism. Speakers discuss different aspects of workplace ageism and ways that we as workers, employers, and researchers can address it.
- Ageism: The Accepted "ism" in the WorkplaceIn Episode 48 we discuss the history, evolution, and destructive nature of ageism (also known as age discrimination) in the workplace
- Ageism in EducationA discussion about ageism being directed towards educators 55+ and the wider reaching detrimental effects this can have on a community.
- Is ageism getting old?Getting older should be something to celebrate. Instead, our youth-obsessed culture tells us we need to get rid of our wrinkles, dye our gray hair, and shave years off of our LinkedIn profiles, or risk becoming irrelevant—or worse, invisible. But why do we treat the very normal process of aging like it’s something to be ashamed of?
- Older Workers Find Age Discrimination Built Right Into Some Job WebsitesA 2-minute listen detailing how older adults have been excluded from some websites that post jobs
- Age Equity AllianceThe Age Equity Alliance is a 501(c)(3) committed to helping businesses, organizations, and communities ensure Age Equity in the workplace through education, training, and process evaluation.
- Age OnAge On, is a non-profit organization that provides training and education to raise awareness and eliminate ageism through research, charitable and public education activities globally.