Either too young or too old to be taken seriously

Photos: JITEN BAJRACHARYA

Greta Thunberg began her school strikes for climate action at 15. Steve Jobs founded Apple at 21. Whether young or old, age is not a barrier to do something innovative and different.

And yet, age-based discrimination, or ageism, has long existed in societies, much like other intersecting forms of prejudice based on gender, race, weight, ethnicity, religion, and even politics. It is not just older people being stigmatised, but also the youth being dismissed and not taken seriously.

To raise global awareness about the challenges of ageism, the theme for this year’s International Youth Day on 12 August is 'Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a world for all ages'. Leave no one behind is the central promise of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

But ageism, by its very definition, means leaving certain demographics behind, and to begin dismantling it we must look into how it is subtly and deeply rooted in us, our cultures and institutions.

According to the Pew Research Centre in the USA, the population across the world vulnerable to ageist discrimination, i.e. below age 20 and above age 60, totalled 3.6 billion -- 47% of the world’s population.

The first Global Report on Ageism by World Health Organisation (WHO) paints a similarly grim picture. The report estimates that every second a person in the world holds 'moderately or highly ageist attitudes', which means half of humanity thinks and feels negatively about people based on their age.

Reports indicate that ageism creates divisions, perpetuating stereotypes, marginalising people, placing them at a disadvantage. And so much of it is internalised.

Young people report age-related barriers in various spheres of their lives, including employment, political participation, health and justice. In fact, more younger people in Europe report ageism than any other age group.

With serious and wide-ranging consequences for people’s health and wellbeing, ageism is also associated with poorer physical and mental health, increased social isolation and loneliness, greater financial insecurity, decreased quality of life, and premature death especially among the older population.

An estimated 6.3 million cases of depression globally are attributable to ageism. Mandatory retirement age without research-backed evidence can be viewed as a form of institutional ageism that leads to financial and social instability.

For example, the compulsory retirement age in Nepal is 60, while Nepal’s life expectancy is 72 years. The impact of this gap is yet to be researched and analysed. On top of this, the Constitution of Nepal has no specific provision to combat age-based discrimination.

According to the UN Global Report on Ageism, age-based prejudice and discrimination also costs billions of dollars to economies globally. A 2020 study in the USA found that ageism resulted in 17.04 million cases of these health conditions and is responsible for $63 billion spent on healthcare annually among people aged 60 years or older for the eight most-expensive conditions including cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illnesses, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, diabetes mellitus, treatment of smoking, mental disorders, and non-communicable infections.

Similarly, in Australia, estimates suggest that if 5% more people aged 55 or older were employed, there would be a positive impact of $34.16 billion on the national economy annually.

While the data on the economic costs of ageism is minimal, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, the global trend emphasises the need for more structured research to better understand this economic impact in countries like Nepal.

The celebration of International Youth Day calls for a mediation on intergenerational solidarity. Interventions across age groups and activities which can lead to a greater sense of social connectedness are crucial strategies in building compassion and reducing generational differences to address ageism.

This highlights the need for evidence-based strategies to frame policies and laws that are not discriminatory on the basis of age. Further, change is necessary not just on policy-level but also in communities and societies which means changing the way we think and act towards age and aging.

Why should a young person not run a company or govern a country? Why can an older person not change jobs or work beyond a certain age? The demand for fresh voice and outlook was recently underscored in the local elections when Kathmandu elected 32-year-old Balen Shah as its mayor.

However, the questions above are often answered not by evidence, research or reason, but by prejudices. We need more research into the far-reaching impacts of ageist views and policies so we can work to address inequalities.

Having data and evidence only is not enough to address ageism either: we must bring empathy and solidarity to how we view things and act. Perhaps there are differences in the way different age groups operate, but that does not mean we stop trying to make things more equal and accessible.

Asmi Ghimire is a student at KISC Lalitpur. 

Read also: Nepali climate activist makes waves, Shristi Kaki

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