Page 119 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 1-2: Etika in šola, ur. Marjan Šimenc in Mitja Sardoč
P. 119
d. lahe, j. goriup ■ the role of knowledge about aging
and discrimination against older people (Palmore, 1999: pp. 4). Ageism
was first defined by Butler (1969: pp. 243) as a “process of systematic stere
otyping and discrimination against older people.” The author noted that
ageism consists of three constituent elements:
– prejudice against age, aging and older people;
– discrimination against older people, especially in the working envi
ronment, as well as in the social environment;
– institutional policies and procedures that perpetuate stereotyped be
liefs about older people, and reduce opportunities for older gener
ations to live satisfactory lives, diminishing their personal dignity
(Butler, 1980: pp. 8).
Palmore (1999: pp. 4) has expanded the definition of ageism, since
he understands it “as any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor
of any age group”: i.e. judging people based on age, and at the same time
highlighting its negative and/or positive aspects. Some authors (Butler,
2005; Levy and Banaji, 2002; Nelson, 2002; Palmore, 2001) even con
clude that ageism is a frequent and widespread phenomenon in post-mod
ern society, even among the young. Angus and Reeve (2006) add that, de
spite the global aging of the population and the introduction of positive
terms such as “successful aging” and “active aging,” ageism in the 21st cen
tury is still a “widespread and widely accepted and largely ignored” social
phenomenon, very complex and hard to deal with, and difficult to under
stand.
The reasons behind the increase in ageism, are located by some au
thors (e.g. Bodner, 2009; Cuddy, Norton and Fiske, 2005; Levy and Ba
naji, 2002; Palmore, 1999) in the intensive growth of the elderly popula
tion in Western societies. Most people are becoming increasingly worried
about the growth of the older generation in comparison with the rest of
the population. The increasing number of old people raises concern for
the issues of retirement, income security, and provision of health care to
this growing and vulnerable social group. Ageism is definitely discrimina
tion based on calendar age, which determines an individual’s ability and
their role. It means stereotyping and discrimination against older people,
simply because they are old. While Pečjak (2007) points out that ageism is
deeply rooted in the human spirit, even though many people remain un
aware of it, Schirrmcher (2007) adds that it is not only that older people
are discriminated against by the younger generation, but that older people
also have negative attitudes towards the elderly.
Besides a growing political concern about ageism, there are also per
sonal consequences of this socially undesirable process (e.g. demoralisa
117
and discrimination against older people (Palmore, 1999: pp. 4). Ageism
was first defined by Butler (1969: pp. 243) as a “process of systematic stere
otyping and discrimination against older people.” The author noted that
ageism consists of three constituent elements:
– prejudice against age, aging and older people;
– discrimination against older people, especially in the working envi
ronment, as well as in the social environment;
– institutional policies and procedures that perpetuate stereotyped be
liefs about older people, and reduce opportunities for older gener
ations to live satisfactory lives, diminishing their personal dignity
(Butler, 1980: pp. 8).
Palmore (1999: pp. 4) has expanded the definition of ageism, since
he understands it “as any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor
of any age group”: i.e. judging people based on age, and at the same time
highlighting its negative and/or positive aspects. Some authors (Butler,
2005; Levy and Banaji, 2002; Nelson, 2002; Palmore, 2001) even con
clude that ageism is a frequent and widespread phenomenon in post-mod
ern society, even among the young. Angus and Reeve (2006) add that, de
spite the global aging of the population and the introduction of positive
terms such as “successful aging” and “active aging,” ageism in the 21st cen
tury is still a “widespread and widely accepted and largely ignored” social
phenomenon, very complex and hard to deal with, and difficult to under
stand.
The reasons behind the increase in ageism, are located by some au
thors (e.g. Bodner, 2009; Cuddy, Norton and Fiske, 2005; Levy and Ba
naji, 2002; Palmore, 1999) in the intensive growth of the elderly popula
tion in Western societies. Most people are becoming increasingly worried
about the growth of the older generation in comparison with the rest of
the population. The increasing number of old people raises concern for
the issues of retirement, income security, and provision of health care to
this growing and vulnerable social group. Ageism is definitely discrimina
tion based on calendar age, which determines an individual’s ability and
their role. It means stereotyping and discrimination against older people,
simply because they are old. While Pečjak (2007) points out that ageism is
deeply rooted in the human spirit, even though many people remain un
aware of it, Schirrmcher (2007) adds that it is not only that older people
are discriminated against by the younger generation, but that older people
also have negative attitudes towards the elderly.
Besides a growing political concern about ageism, there are also per
sonal consequences of this socially undesirable process (e.g. demoralisa
117
