Mary Beth Perdue

GERN 400
Instructor Melanie Weir
29 September 2013
Ageism: What is it and Why?
As we move along the course of our lives, as we develop as unique individuals, the thought or
even the idea of getting older becomes more of a nag and a hassle rather than something to keep our
minds open to. In todays modern world, the Western definition regarding aging is basically synonymous
with being (hopefully) preventable, or hopes of at least delaying as long as possible. In other words, as a
society we all seem to be invested in living long, fulfilled, and meaningful lives, yet we are completely
uninterested in aging past a certain point. Since populations are aging and living longer it is integral to the
growth of our society to better our understanding of all aspects of aging and the ways in which we can aim
for a more positive experience throughout the continuum of the life course.
An ism is often a distinctive system, philosophy, practice, or way of thinking that typically
creates a binary framework for the way we perceive the world around us. Thus, ageism stems from
cultural and economic beliefs, and often includes a complex mix of both unfavorable and favorable
attitudes about older adults (McNamara & Williamson, 2012, p. 9). Ageism is then based off of specific
stereotypes that are imposed onto older adults and what it means to be an older adult living in our society,
either positive or negative. These stereotypes then become so intricately embedded in our society do deeply
that they are invisible to most people. Ultimately, ageism acts as another mechanism of societal oppression
at much larger, systemic levels in which our minds create boxes as to what it means to be old that become
harder and harder to break out of.
Based on my own experiences, one of the more prevalent negative stereotypes about older adults I
have encountered is associated with perceptions of older adults and sexuality. Typically, it seems as if the
majority of society believes that the older we get, the less sexual we become in which many other
implications rest. In other words, by narrowly viewing sexuality in older age other stereotypes about aging
and sexuality are perpetuated such as only the young are beautiful and sexy. It brings to bear the
question, why does our society see sexuality and old age as incompatible? There are plenty of studies to

support the decrease of hormonal flow in our bodies as we age, which may be but one factor as to why
some older adults may engage in less sexual activity than others. However, after spending a significant
period of time around older adults through my work environment, I have observed that older adults are
sexual beings and still have desire for intimacy in their lives in a multitude of expressions. Hence sexuality
and being sexual does not have to look one way.
Often times, the number one question I get asked about where I work is: Do they still have sex?
Although this question seems a bit ignorant to the well-informed reader, it is a basic question for most. At
first I typically want to just turn the other way because of the ridiculous nature of the question, but then
again I know I cannot do that because that would perpetuate ageist beliefs and ideas about older adults that
are not all that accurate. It is not to say that older adults engage in sexual activities all day long; however
this facet of older persons as human beings does not disappear over night. At one of the facilities where I
work there is a significant amount of women living there with a disproportionate lesser number of men.
Therefore, many of the women end up spending their time with the same man. By working the evening
shifts, the worker is truly able to see how the residents interact with one another. They are constantly
leaving stuff in one anothers room and going from room to room. Several of the residents I work with have
shared openly about their newly founded relationships in later life while others share about specific sexual
experiences they desire. In other words, this negative view about older adults is directly stemming from
ageism and quite possibly other isms that have left these people deemed as unattractive, asexual, and
inactive in more ways than one.
Moreover, I am not exempt from holding ageist beliefs and attitudes towards older adults. I also
have carried ageist beliefs that are nonetheless counterproductive in creating a more accurate perception in
reference to what it means to be and look like an older adult in todays anti-aging world. First, I have
carried around this preconceived notion that older people have it all figured out for as long as I can
remember. I typically live and have lived my own life in a very closed-minded manner in which I used to
believe that life looked one way for all people, and the older we got the better at doing life we became.
To some degree there may be truths of wisdom in that kind of thinking, however the more I learn about the
aging process, there is always something new to learn, uncover, and experience in our lives. Somehow, I
have been blinded to view older adults as individuals who have the secret answer to what the purpose of

life is in a more metaphysical sense. However, I do not feel that I am alone in this way of thinking. Luckily
though, I am finally beginning to realize that just because someone is chronologically older than myself,
they do not have to have this life all figured out step-by-step.
Secondly, I also have carried around this idea that all older people must have money, which is
definitely not the case. This stereotype still finds its way into my belief system time after time even though
I am (or thought I was) aware of how intersectionality plays a major role in determining how our lives
unfold. It seems as if this ageist belief correlates with my idea of older people having figured it all out
because if they have done this then they probably have been able to become financially stable. To really get
the point across that aging does not equate wealth accumulation, almost 3.5 million elderly persons (9.0%)
were below the poverty level in 2010 (Administration on Aging [AOA] 2011 p. 11). This highlights other
systemic social problems of accessing housing, food, clothing, medication, healthcare, and so much more.
By my own fault, buying into the stereotype that all older adults live financially comfortably ultimately
erases real issues that older adults live with not just in the United States, but potentially across the globe.
As mentioned earlier, ageist beliefs stem from other ideologies that are embedded in our culture
that directly links society to discriminate against older adults, creating a fixed idea of what an older adult
is. There are several factors that continue to add and build onto the stereotypes about older adults. Based off
of what I observe, one of the main ways ageism is embedded in our society, and is becoming increasingly
worse, is the mass media such as: advertising, reality television, pop culture, and more. For example,
everywhere we look we can see or hear an ad about how to prevent aging. We are told as a society to
invest in plastic surgery, body modifications, skin products, anti-aging supplements and so much more.
This implicitly says that as a society we only value youth whereas the more we age, the less attractive and
less meaningful members we become as human beings. All forms of media portray older adults typically as
wealthy and healthy, which is not always the case because more studies are revealing that the seniors in the
context of the U.S. are strikingly living in conditions of poverty. Instead of using media to further extend
ageism in our culture, media could be one vessel to help reshape our attitudes towards the inevitable
process of aging.
Another cause of ageism stems directly from all other forms of oppression. From a feminist
perspective, all forms of oppression, such as sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, feed off of one another

in order to create binary structures within our society. Many feminists will agree that since we live in a
capitalistic society, in order to keep this kind of system intact there is no choice then but to exploit
individuals to maintain the system. As a feminist myself, this is something that I can see that works around
us. However, I cannot explicitly say that this is true, but when one becomes aware of oppression, and how
individuals have been treated in order to make a profit in a historical context, it begins to make sense.
Therefore, ageism does stem from other forms of oppression in order to maintain a society that can
continue to contribute capitalistically.
Overall, ageism is another way to discriminate and marginalize lives in our society, in which older
adults are viewed through a certain lens, where that lens is positive or negative is all contextual as well as
intersectional. So we should ask ourselves, what can we do to reduce ageism in our society? Initially this
seems like quite the tall order. In order to move away from attitudes that inaccurately represent what it
means to age or to be an older adult, education is a great tool to reach out to people. Media have the ability
to connect with millions of individuals and educate and entertain simultaneously. More importantly, I
believe to shift away from forms of discrimination and belief systems begin internally with the individual.
It is up to that person how s/he wishes to live and experience life when one becomes conscious of the larger
systems that are at work around them.

Reference Page
McNamara, Tay & Williamson, John. (2012). Is Age Discrimination Ever Acceptable? Public Policy & Aging
Report, 22(3, Summer): 9-13. Retrieved from https://www2.bc.edu/~jbw/documents/ PPARTKMJBW
_IW_052112_000.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging. (2011). A Profile of Older Americans:
2011. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/ Profile/2011/docs/ 2011profile.pdf