Ageism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person’s age and is still very prevalent within society.
Ageism underpins many of the issues currently faced by older people and results in negative stereotypes, unfair treatment and people’s rights not being respected and upheld. Ageism can also negatively influence the decisions made by society, meaning that the services, facilities and opportunities we need to help us age well can be inadequate and discriminate against us because of our age.
A growing body of research indicates that ageism has a wide range of negative impacts, affecting people’s physical and mental health, memory function, recovery from illness, levels of social exclusion and even life expectancy.
Tackling ageism and age discrimination is therefore essential to support older people’s health and well-being and ensure equality, that we are treated with dignity and respect as we get older, and that the contribution older people make to society is both recognised and celebrated.
It is also essential to tackle ageism if we are to make sustainable improvements in other aspects of older people’s lives.
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Taking Action Against Ageism
It's essential we challenge ageism at every opportunity, but many older people have told us they find it difficult to recognise ageism, and are unsure what to do to challenge ageism when they encounter it. Our guide provides information about how to take action against ageism.
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How to avoid ageism in communications
One of the ways in which we can all tackle ageism is through the language and terminology we use, which can impact on how people think, feel and react to what we are saying. This guide is designed to help you avoid ageism when communicating.
Read our guide
Media guidelines for reporting on ageing and older age
Read our guide for journalists to help ensure that older people and their experiences are more accurately reflected and represented in the media
Read our guide