Ageism is bias against a person or group on the grounds of age. When that bias is the primary motivation behind acts of discrimination against that person or group, then those acts constitute age discrimination. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with bias (disambiguation). ... Ageing or aging is the process of getting older. ...

The two most common forms

Although ageism can refer to bias against any age group, ageism (and age discrimination) are usually focused on two targets:

• Adolescents (Ageism against adolescents is also called "Adultism")
• The elderly

American teenagers in a high school Adolescence is the transitional stage of development between childhood and full adulthood, representing the period of time during which a person is biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. ... Adultism is a term from co-counseling used to refer to the oppression of young people through attitudinal, cultural, and systematic discrimination against children and youth. It is also used to refer to any bias against young people, and is distinguished from ageism—which is simply prejudice on the grounds... Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ...

Examples

Ageism

An example of ageism is thinking that all teenagers like rock music, are immature and insubordinate, use slang and profanity, and watch R-rated movies; or that all elderly are slow, weak, senile, and dependent. A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... // Slang is the non-standard use of words in a language of a particular social group, and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language. ... Profanity is a word choice or usage which its audience considers to be offensive. ...

Age discrimination

Although like all forms of discrimination, age discrimination has always been a problem, it is most severe at present in the entertainment and computer industries. Many elderly actors, musicians, scriptwriters, programmers, and electrical engineers have all complained that it is difficult for them to find work, even though they are overwhelmingly well-qualified in terms of education and experience. But what lets them down, is their age.

Responses

Grass-roots activism

Many groups have been set up in various countries to combat age discrimination, including:

• United Kingdom
  • Age Concern
  • Help the Aged
• United States
  • Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions
  • Gray Panthers: In the early 1970s, Maggie Kuhn formed the Gray Panthers, an organization with a goal of eliminating ageism in all forms.
  • National Youth Rights Association

Age Concern is the name of a number of charitable organizations specifically concerned with the needs and concerns of old people. ... Help the Aged is a United Kingdom based charity, established in 1961 to address issues affecting older people. ... Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions (ASFAR) is an organization that bills itself as dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal civil rights of youth. ASFAR protests the voting age, curfew laws, and other laws that they believe limit the freedom of young people. ... Gray Panthers is an American organization promoting senior citizens rights, founded by Maggie Kuhn in 1970, in response to her forced retirement at age 65. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... Maggie Kuhn (August 3, 1905 - April 22, 1995) was born in Buffalo, New York. ... An organization is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... NYRA logo The National Youth Rights Association is the largest Youth Rights group in the United States, with several thousand members. ...

Unions

Many unions have thrown themselves into the battle against age discrimination. At present, the most prominent example is the Writers Guild of America West, which since 2002 has been waging a huge legal battle against much of the entertainment industry to get rid of the age discrimination commonly faced by elder scriptwriters. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Laws

There are many laws against age discrimination, including:

• United States
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (Pub. ...

Further reading

• Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Against Older Persons Edited scholarly volume of the latest research and theory on Ageism.
• An in-depth look at ageism by Linda M. Woolfe, Ph.D., of Webster University
• Pro-Youth A firm text against ageism towards teenagers, presenting a case of ageism committed by a jury.
• Everyone deserves to be given a chance An essay against ageism towards teenagers, written by a Canadian adolescent.

• "The Older Job Hunter's Guerilla Handbook" A unique booklet that shows middle age men how to combat ageism in the job market. by Gunthar Manusson

See also

• Prejudice[[fi:Ik�syrjint�]]