Be Confident - Stand Up to Ageism

Ageism is how we think about, how we feel about, and how we act towards people based on their age. Ageism is widely accepted and widely experienced.

While ageism can apply to any age-group, it most commonly affects those at the two extremes of the age range: children and youth; and older people. It can take positive and negative forms.

Australian research suggests that most Australian adults have experienced ageism in the last five years . Yet Australians are more familiar with other forms of prejudice and discrimination, such as racism or sexism. Many remain unaware that ageism can also compound the cumulative impacts of these, exacerbating disadvantage and inequality, and that at some point in their lives they will experience its effects. This is the power of internalised ageism.

We need an array of strategies to raise awareness of the existence and address the impacts of ageism.