What is ageism and how age discrimination impacts the lives of the elderly

The elderly correspond to almost 15% of the Brazilian population. Despite the statistics of increased longevity in recent times, they still suffer from prejudice.

Amid limitations in the labor market and stereotypes that dictate the places, clothes and lifestyle that should be adopted, this portion of the population has been increasingly active, revealing how longevity can be positive.

“We have already experienced so much, that many of them have become like this: the after is now, it has to be now. And for us to decide that, we really have to have courage and security, because we already had fears and insecurities. Now, our thinking is more stable and secure”, said model Rosa Saito in an interview with CNN .

Although it is positive for Rosa, old age can come along with notes that define the way people over 60 should act. As described in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Ageism, ageism refers to “stereotyping (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed at people on the basis of their age. ”.

The theme gained repercussions in Brazil last week after the release of a video in which students of the Biomedicine course at a private university in Bauru, in the interior of São Paulo, make fun of a 40-year-old colleague.

In the video, one of the students jokes: “Guys, quiz of the day: how do you ‘unenroll’ a classmate?”. Soon after, another young woman replies: “Man, she is 40 years old now. I was supposed to be retired.” “Really”, agrees the third, making a mocking face.

Consequences of ageism

According to the doctor and president of the Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Ivete Berkenbrock, ageism increases with each year that a person ages, even having psychological consequences.

“Prejudice affects people’s mental health, because they tend to be isolated, they don’t feel comfortable in an environment where they are basically rejected for being over 60 years old. This can lead to depression, because every time a person thinks about doing something, he internalizes it”.

In addition to the impact on the mental health of the elderly population, ageism also affects daily life. In an interview, Ivete explained that leisure activities and places to practice physical activity, for example, do not have accessibility. For the specialist, promoting access only to the health area is a way of reducing the elderly to illnesses, neglecting the realization of their pleasures.

Still, the health of the elderly is also something to be proud of: “The increase in longevity is the greatest collective achievement of humanity in recent times. This is a privilege and shows how much we have already been capable of overcoming infectious diseases, of going through wars and climatic phenomena, of overcoming diseases”, said Ivete.

As released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in 2019 life expectancy in Brazil was 76.6 years.

Giving strength to this positive perspective on aging, model Rosa Saito says at the age of 71 that she lives with achievements and recalls the importance of young people fighting ageism.

“Even if it’s in the flower of youth, it’s the moment for people to really stop, think, put their hands on their heads, because they are people who have already lived it, who have experience. So whether at work or at home, these are people who have such a great load of wisdom, of experience, that they have to be respected. People have to put themselves in their shoes,” she says.

In addition to walking the catwalks, Rosa shows herself as a model to be followed by those who don’t want to limit themselves to stereotypes about those who watch time pass so much.

“As long as you have the joy of living, there’s no ‘hey, I’m old’. What is x age? Is it mere time? Age is in your head. I think it doesn’t exist. While you’re alive, you have to try to be happy, running after what you once wanted to do. Give you motivation to live, motivation to feel happy, ”she says.

Impacts on the job market

Maturi project manager Fabiana Granzotti explains the origin of the term. “Etarism or ageism, which is derived from the English term aging, is ageism,” she said.

According to her, prejudice against older people affects all ages – like a person seen as too young to hold a leadership position, for example.

“However, it is more pronounced for older people, due to stereotypes, that they are out of date, disconnected from technology and have not kept up with changes. But this is not linked to age, but to the opportunities of each one”, he added.

Fabiana, who runs a company specializing in the subject, says that Brazil already has 37.7 million elderly people, who are able to contribute in various ways to the job market, including mentoring.

“It is very positive, a person with more experience has even gone through more difficult situations, it can contribute to those who are just starting out in the job market, who cannot have a more systemic view, and young people, on the other hand, who have already been born connected, manage to provide technological support”.

This partnership is positive, according to her, for the creation of new products, resilience and more productive and happy environments. “Nowadays, the need for mental health is talked about and it is observed a lot how positive the exchange is, each one has their own experience, this contribution is super important”.

The changes, however, should not come only from the professional. “Corporations look stereotypically, with higher costs, but there is another point that the market has been offering, the two sides reach a common agreement, what mature people expect and how corporations can be reorganized to absorb people more experts, with consultant programs, for example”.

“The job market is no longer what it was two years ago, the pandemic has accelerated this whole process. The 50+ population must keep up-to-date, seek transversal careers and corporations must have this vision of new forms of hiring, with the contribution of knowledge, without suffering from high salaries”, he evaluated.

The specialist says she believes that “paradigms fall on both sides” is necessary to absorb the population that will soon be the majority in Brazil.