Examples of Ageism in the Society

Examples of Ageism in the Society

The layoff of older workers

In Feb 2016, CBC Canada posted an article that highlighted the layoffs of employees aged between 55 years and 57 years in Calgary and St Johns. At this age bracket, these individuals are in the peak of their earnings, and as most employers perceive them, their productivity has also decreased(CBC News, 2020). The article further relies on a statistic that approximates that in the year 2015 alone, over 158,400 employees between the age of 55 and 64 got a permanent layoff in Canada (CBC News, 2020). Such layoffs are one of the typical examples of ageism since it is anchored on the perception that individuals who are nearing their retirement period are a burden to the organizations (Iversen, Larsen, &Solem, 2009). For instance, in the article, one of the reasons for the layoffs is the high payment of individuals who near retirement age. Thus, the organization’s perception towards them as dependent and expensive to maintain marks a typical example of ageism.

Based on this example, the negative aspect of ageism in this article is that elders are not productive at work but are mostly dependent compared to the younger employees. Though the article does not directly quote the productivity of lack of it as the reason for the layoffs, alluding to higher payments of the older employees implicitly points out to the above assertion. The article points out that as an individual employee nears their retirement age, the wages are high, making the organizations to reconsider relying on their services over the young employees.

Anti-aging Cosmetic TV Adverts Targeting the Aged

One of the television adverts that continues to target the aging women is the Revitalift Laser Renew manufactured by L’Oreal Paris. The advert emphasizes that the cosmetic is anti-aging and uses women from different walks of life to show the texture of their skin that they claim have been revitalized by the beauty product (L’Oreal Paris, 2019). However, one astounding aspect with the advert is that all the women who have starred in the advertisement are above forty years. Understanding very well that at this age most women struggle with wrinkles and other signs of aging, the advert goes further to claim that “they are now more beautiful and courageous than never and they feel young” (L’Oreal Paris, 2019). Such an aspect probably demonize the aging phenomena and perceives the old individuals as ugly nor and have low self-esteem (Jonson, 2013). In that regard, the anti-aging advert harbors all aspects of ageism since it is anchored on the prejudice and stereotypical ideologies that perceive aging as evil, ugly, and something that should not be accepted.

The negative assumption harbored in the advertisement is that as an individual grows old, they become unattractive. Therefore, the advertisement perpetrated the long-held stereotype that individuals who are old are less attractive and need to rely on the help of cosmetics to ensure that they are back on their best looks. The assertion could be further explained by the assumption that aged individuals lack self-esteem and are ugly (Jonson, 2013). Such negative assumptions on old age fail to recognize that aging and developing stretched skin is a normal developmental process of an individual.

Insurance covers for the Old

AARP health insurance commercials often target the old using various advertisement techniques. In the above television commercial, the creators of the content use adults aged over sixty years and suggest that initially, the male individual in the advert never took care of his health owing to old age (AARP, 2019). The Take Advantage advertisement uses characters who are old and jovial after taking the health insurance package with the assumption that failure to subscribe to such health insurance exposes the aged individuals to health risks (AARP, 2019). Thus, such assumptions perfectly align with the long-held prejudice that when people reach an advanced age, they become fragile in terms of health and relatively susceptible to multiple health complications such as poor sight and dental issues.

The cynical assumption attached to this commercial is not only that it targets the old prospective customers strictly but also that it depicts such individuals as careless about their health unless pushed by the third party. In that sense, the advert perpetuates the negative ageism stereotype that puts such individuals as “frail, conservative, and cares less about their welfare unless there is an intervention of a third party” (Iversen, Larsen, &Solem, 2009). Though it could be perceived as a positive ageism advertisement since it encourages healthy living, suggesting that such people are careless is in a negative taste.

Ways of Avoiding these Situations Based on the Examples

Avoiding situations attributed to ageism needs an individual initiative and collective approach where policy frameworks are put in effect. For instance, in the first example where people are laid off due to their advanced age, there is a need for the Canadian authorities to formulate laws that prohibit discrimination based on their age just like in the USA. In the US, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects job applicants aged over forty years from any age-related discrimination. Again, concerning the cosmetic advert that targets the age, people should call out such manufactures and even boycott such products that perpetuate stereotypes related to ageism. Finally, regarding insurance health cover that targets the old, there is a need for the insurance policies to be revised to ensure that adverts are appealing to all and not negatively target the individuals of advanced age.

References

CBC News. (2020). Laid off at 55 — now what? Retrieved 26 February 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rrsp/layoff-older-workers-1.3395876

AARP. (2019). Take Advantage. Retrieved 26 February 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hsq3kO5BIs&list=PL27D67B7541104930&index=6

L’Oreal Paris (2019). Revitalift Laser Renew. Retrieved 26 February 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmdshgtIZ6s

Iversen, T.N., Larsen, L., &Solem, P.E. (2009). A conceptual analysis of ageismLinks to an external site.Nordic Psychology, 61(3), 4–22. doi:10.1027/1901–2276.61.3.4

Jönson, H.. (2013). We will be different!: Ageism and the temporal construction of old ageLinks to an external site. The Gerontologist, 53(2), 198–204. doi:10.1093/geront/gns066