The Formation of Age Stereotypes[i]
A scenario:
Ageism in a Snow Bank: Walking along a
snow-clogged street, a 60-year-old woman saw a car up ahead spinning its
wheels. The woman assisted by adding her weight to the back of the vehicle and
successfully pushed the car out. With the car now free, the young man was eager
to thank the helper. As he rolled down the window, his jaw dropped at the sight
of the older woman who had come to his rescue.
The
topics of physical activity, aging and social stereotyping are especially
relevant to modern times because without an awareness of the connections
between them, we continue to neglect the potential for all people to enjoy full
lives.. Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, but no one wants to
“grow old.” And no one wants to work at staying young. That is the first
thought about aging –⎯ no one wants to be old. Why? Because aging has long been blamed
as the cause of a “disablement process” (Verbrugge & Jette, 1994). There is
a perception that older people will invariably experience disabilities and
various diseases as a direct result of aging.
Other
stereotypes include that most older people aren’t employed, don’t do much, have
nothing interesting to talk about, and don’t have much fun. The older they get,
the grumpier people seem. Older adults are seen by some as caught up in their
own health concerns and full of complaints about how terrible the world is
becoming. Their bodies seem to be falling apart, and many don’t like the
contemporary world. Older adults don’t particularly like the noise and antics
of younger people, and so choose to live in segregated communities where they
can have a peaceful retirement away from the fast pace of community life.
Well,
these things may be true of some older adults, but for many, it is a
stereotype. Such thoughts are expressions of ageism ⎯ the differential
treatment of people according to age. The self-segregation of older and younger
members of society keeps their unique lives secret, and promotes generational
estrangement and ignorance. Ageism thrives when older people and younger people
don’t live, work or play together. What if a 44 year old man wanted to play on
a youth hockey team? Would this be objectionable? What if the middle-aged man
was Wayne Gretzky? Who would want a grandfather on their community soccer team?
Well, you would be
February 2005 www.alcoa.ca
Overcoming
Ageism in Active Living sorry not to have Brazilian star Pele as a player on
your community team – he just happens to be 61. How about Geoff Henwood? He
started gymnastics classes just a few years ago, and he is not 6 years old. He
is not 8 years old. He is 86!
The
above individuals are examples of how men can aspire to maintain performance in
fitness and sport even into advanced age. There are some exceptional older
women too, but ageism judges women more harshly (Vertinsky, 1995). In active
living settings, older women generally experience a double whammy of ageism
combined with sexism. Indeed, today’s older woman may have acquired some sport
skills, but even if she was very fit, until recently, there was no soccer team for
her. Her place in society is already prescribed, and she knows people will
think “she is off her rocker” if she plays soccer. Generally we think that an
elderly woman should be a nice grandmother, sit in her chair, read or watch TV,
and play with the grandchildren whenever they happen to come over. Anyway, no
older women ever want to play soccer... or do they?
[i] Cousins, S. O. (2005) Overcomming ageism in Active Living,
Report for Active Living Coalition for Older Adults www.alco.ca
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