5 Age Stereotypes That Must Go
Age stereotypes are unkind and often false. But did you know they can also
be harmful to one's physical and mental health? Read on to find out more!
BeautyHub.PH Team
|January 27, 2023
Read Time: 4 min
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Modern society can be oriented toward youth and performance, so it's no surprise that
attitudes toward aging are ambivalent. Ask anyone about age stereotypes and you're
likely to find more negative than positive beliefs. While positive stereotypes see older
adults as warm, loyal, and reliable, negative labels about being sickly, lonely,
depressed, forgetful, and unattractive are predominant.
Ageism and Women
Age discrimination against women has been tied to perceptions of female physical
appearance, causing women a lot of stress.
Ageism, or the attitudes and beliefs, feelings, and behavior toward people based on
their old age, affect how we see and treat the elderly. It can lead to discrimination and
undermines successful aging – a life free from disease and disability, with good
cognitive and physical functioning, social connections, and productive activities.
Women are doubly discriminated against. The 2022 Mirror/Mirror survey from the
America Association of Retired Persons (AARP) polled 6,643 women of all ages and
ethnicities to reveal the bias faced at work and in everyday encounters. Women 50
years old and up felt disrespected for "being too old" while those under 50 believed they
were treated unfairly for "being too young."
Studies show that regularly being discriminated against affects your mental health,
leading to depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. It also affects physical health
by increasing your risk for unhealthy behaviors that can result in diseases like heart
disease, metabolic syndrome, and more.
5 Common Age Stereotypes
Older women often feel pressured to maintain a youthful look and conform to beauty
standards.
1. Older adults are less competent or motivated to work.
In the Philippines, arbitrary age requirements prevent older people from getting hired
while some employers will impose early retirement due to old age. The mandatory
retirement age is 65, but private companies can retire older adults as early as 60.
According to the Human Rights Commission of the Philippines, older women are more
likely to experience age discrimination due to existing gender inequality. A 2019 Trend
Brief on Gendered Ageism cites that gendered ageism is on the rise globally. In the UK,
ageism affects women earlier than men in the workplace. But older employees,
especially women, can still contribute to companies, and older adults are often seen as
more loyal and reliable than their younger counterparts.
2. Older people are unattractive and unwanted.
According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Gerontology, research on
gendered ageism linked age discrimination to perceptions of female physical
appearance, causing women a lot of stress. The 2019 Trend Brief on Gendered Ageism
also discussed how women managers felt pressured to conform to beauty
standards and maintain a youthful look.
In the AARP 2022 Mirror/Mirror Survey, 81% of working women 50 years old and over
and 92% of working women 18 to 49 were told to look or act a certain way at work.
Women of all ages said their weight, physical appearance, and social class were among
the more prominent biases that affected their mental health.
3. Older people in the workplace are harder to train.
There's an assumption that older people have a more challenging time changing,
making them less competent and less valuable to the company. Although aging can
affect mental function, older adults can still learn new skills and form new memories.
When given time to learn tasks, older adults can perform just as well as younger people.
Growing evidence shows that the brain can change and adapt so people can tackle new
challenges even as they age.
4. Older people suffer memory loss.
People often attribute "senior moments" or memory lapses to older people. When a
younger person is forgetful, it's due to other causes, such as being distracted or other
changeable factors. Although the elderly can experience mild forgetfulness, not all older
people suffer from memory loss or mild cognitive impairment. Similarly, dementia or
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging.
5. Old people are weak and sickly.
Staying active is key in helping older adults avoid becoming frail, weak, and less mobile.
Older adults, senior citizens, and the elderly are often thought of as weak and sickly,
with poor health. But many older adults can engage in moderate physical activity to
boost their mobility and help manage chronic conditions. Anyone with low physical
activity will eventually become frail. So, you must stay active. Regular exercise,
whatever your age, is necessary for both physical and mental health.
Aging Gracefully
The path to successful aging can start at any age. It includes nutrition, fitness, and other
healthy habits to help you age gracefully. This includes behaviors like maintaining good
oral hygiene with Closeup Red Hot Toothpaste, which has an antibacterial formula
and micro-shine crystals for a stunning smile.
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