The Everyday Ageism Project: Age Biases in Different Professions

The Everyday Ageism Project

The Everyday Ageism Project aims to capture people’s everyday experiences of ageism. Research by EURAGE shows that across the European region, ageism is the most commonly experienced form of prejudice, yet relatively little is known about how it is experienced, who experiences it and the situations which may leave people vulnerable to age discrimination.

By providing a safe forum for people to anonymously share their experiences, the project aims to understand the consequences of ageism and the ways that age discrimination can affect people’s everyday lives. We also wish to encourage people to share their stories to show that ageism does exist and that it is a valid problem worth discussing.

Click here to submit your experience of ageism.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Age Biases in Different Professions

Examples of how age-based assumptions vary by profession

“When I was a newly qualified social worker and in my early 20’s. I experienced colleagues who doubted my ability to do my job, assuming I had limited life experience. Service users also reacted in the same way and often preferred to deal with older workers.

My husband has also experienced ageism in trying to get a training contract and employment in the law, a profession that prefers people in their 20’s. This is a known fact and even some firms allude to preferring younger applicants on their websites.

[This is ageism because] both instances made assumptions about our abilities/capabilities based on a generalised notion of age.

[This made me feel] frustrated, angry, foolish, and disheartened. It has made me less likely to equate age with experience necessarily and also I feel frustrated with society for limiting the chances of older people in the workplace”