My thanks to Steerforth Press and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
In Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It, author Tracey Gendron demonstrates how deep-seated ageism or discrimination based on age is in our society, be it in laws and policies or everyday functioning, and how, for the older segment of society, this has become (wrongly) conflated with ableism (discrimination based on [perceived] disability).
Ageism or discrimination based on age can take many forms—be it against younger persons who are stereotyped as reckless or immature or older persons who are seen as non-contributing members of society, and often associated with illness and lack of ability to function fully (in fact different ‘generations’ as we understand them today are often lumped together and associated with different characteristics). But it is discrimination against the second group—the elderly—that has the more severe consequences for it results in discrimination, marginalisation, segregation, and lack of opportunity to live a ‘normal’ and indeed ‘full’ life.
Starting with explaining the different forms that ageism takes (and this can be positive, with intent to benefit the target population), and historical attitudes towards older persons, Gendron shows how from microaggressions in the form of small everyday jokes and comments (to birthday cards); changed meanings of terms like ‘older person’ or ‘generation’; the concept of retirement and its becoming equated with being no longer ‘useful’; to the anti-ageing advertising (products to keep us ‘young’), the very notion of aging which should mean no more than the number of years one has had lived has become equated to disease and decrepitude (shockingly even classified by the WHO as such). What we lose sight of in these approaches is the fact that aging is something that all of us are going through at every moment, and not some ‘disease’ that we become suddenly afflicted with. Not only that, age does not necessarily mean illness or disability—the group we classify as ‘older persons’ is as heterogeneous as society as a whole is, and lumping together, segregating and stereotyping is not only negatively affecting the elderly themselves but also in a sense society as a whole; for negative perceptions of being ‘old’ or seeing ‘death’ for that matter as something to be ‘defeated’, makes everyone fear what is a natural process, which ends up in these stereotypes actually being realised in those that fear them the most, as well as depriving both groups of meaningful interactions with each other in daily life. Another important point Gendron highlights is how striving to remain young and ‘independent’ has become so normalised that we begin to see any form of dependence or caregiving as undesirable (both sides—the carer and the cared-for), when it is actually the case that as humans, we are dependent beings, and not only that, caregiving can be an enriching experience for both sides. These discriminatory attitudes and notions have also become part of law and policy which again attempts to lump together people based on age, defining all older persons as in need of care and vulnerable.
As a consequence of both social attitudes and policies, the elderly are unable to live life as full persons (with ‘human rights’ as we understand them), with society as a whole lacking the needed structural inclusivity, and impeding rather than enabling all its members from living lives with dignity.
The author goes on to explore various ways in which we can address these attitudes and fears, at a personal level for instance by understanding our own perceptions and fears, and gaining more awareness, as well as for instance by recognising the meaningful roles that elders can play in society (that includes both those that would be counted as economic contributions and others).
With a masters in gerontology and PhD in developmental psychology, the author has over 25 years of experience in the field, and writes based on not only her experience at work but also recognising the biases that have entered the field and that may have been impacting her own perspectives as well. The book is well researched and incorporates relevant stats and facts but in a way that doesn't make it overwhelming for the casual reader either.
I think the author has done a great job in helping readers recognise how (even if we don’t believe in the worst negative stereotypes) small acts in the everyday from simple comments like ‘how young you look’, or ‘you haven’t aged at all’, to fairy tales and children’s stories (with wicked old witches or ‘hags’, or even Cruella for that matter), to the advertising we are constantly subjected to (even if we are aware of their intentions) can and do embed these stereotypes even deeper in society and in ourselves. Recognising these and other aspects that she points out makes for an important starting point for all of us to begin addressing this issue that has become so entrenched in society and prevents everyone whatever ‘group’ they might fall in from living life with all its shades and richness.