Aging is a natural process in life, but one that many people find it difficult to accept. The problem is even greater when society itself discriminates against the more experienced, especially when the job market closes.
According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016 with more than 80 thousand people in 57 countries, 60% of respondents are bothered by aging.
Unfortunately, we still live in a society full of prejudices, including age discrimination, revealed in attitudes or phrases such as “you’re not old enough for this”. And this form of discrimination has a name: it is called ageism.
“Etarism, ageism or idatism is a form of prejudice related to any age, but it certainly has more impact when it is directed at elderly people, and, in the matter of elderly people, this effect is devastating in the emotional, psychological aspect, leading people to become depressed and thus isolated, to withdraw from social life, because they can be ridiculed, they are left aside, they become invisible”, said Ivete Berkenbrock, president of the Brazilian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
It’s never too late for a fresh start
For Rosa Saito, age does not define a person. At 70 years old, she left her work as an artisan to dedicate herself to her modeling life, posing for photos, magazine covers and commercials.
“A lot of young people were a little strange, but I think this was a very passing thing, because we ended up interacting, and very well,” she said.
I never imagined myself a model, so suddenly I rediscovered myself, because it was something I had never dreamed of and it happened in my life at 68… Wow, what I do is very rewarding. You feel that there is still a lot to learn
Rosa Saito, modelo
Job market
Digital business analyst Maria Cristina Saldanha was hired at a credit card company through a project focused on the inclusion of people over 50 years old.
“Today I’m proud to say that I’m 52 years old, before I wasn’t, I was ashamed, because I used to say: there is already a prejudice, a different look at this professional. So, today I am very grateful for the company that welcomed me, because it made me accept my age. Age is on my mind, I know that I can produce as much as a younger person can produce”, said Maria Cristina Saldanha..
“This program is bringing a lot of good to the market and to be followed by other corporations, it has to be implemented urgently, because the workforce is aging, our age pyramid here in Brazil is already in the midst of inversion. So, corporations have to look at it in a strategic way”, said Fabiana Granzotti, project manager at Maturi.
Reference: CNN Brasil
