Spot the ageist stereotype
Charles McLachlan
CEO and Portfolio Executive development - MAKING YOUR FUTURE WORK with Freedom, Joy and more opportunities to offer Love to those around you.
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Just to imagine that you are confronted with these positive and negatives views of people in the workplace. I invite you to go through this list and answer this question, “which relate to younger people which relate to older people”?
Here we go:
In a recent World Health Organization report, they cite detailed research that shows how these different stereotypes are presented across countries and at large.
Here is a quiz for you: what is your scores for spotting the stereotype. If you correctly identify the stereotype as applying to younger or older people then you get 2 points. If the stereotype is associated with both categories, you get 1 point. If you correctly identify that the stereotype is associated with both categories you get 3 points. Maximum score is 39 points.
The answers are at the bottom of this article.
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Now reflect on the extent to which you, personally, have bought into those stereotypes. Consider how much you have experienced the positive or negative impacts of those stereotypes upon you. Examine what policies, attitudes or communications language in organizations you’ve engaged reflect these stereotypes.
As you notice that stereotypes, mindsets, are present at the institutional, individual and in fact self-reflective levels you can start to see how pervasive ageism is across the variety of different cultural contexts, we can observe and experience.
Conclusion
Ageism: it’s here, it’s happening now. I believe ageism is institutionalised in companies, governments and the third sector, culturally reinforced by media, literature and social discourse and embedded in societal norms.
Are you happy for this to continue as you get older and your children or grandchildren seek to make their way in the world?
Quiz Answers:
A very valuable read!
I scored 27. It's interesting that young people are both considered Ambitious and Unmotivated. I felt that there were more stereotypes that should have been both or neither. Ones I got wrong: Committed, Able to deal with change, socially skilled, unmotivated, incompetent, and unproductive.
NPQH FRSA FCCT l Chief Executive at SMARTcurriculum Ltd l 2024 BESA Awards Finalist l 2024 UNESCO Global Inclusion Practitioner l 2024 ERA Finalist l 2023 Digital Leader DL100 | Achieve the Exceptional
10 个月A very insightful read!
Training professional in Bespoke IT, Microsoft & People Skills | Trusted Advisor | Change Mgmt | Team of qualified professionals | Member LPI Membership Advisory Board | Member Women on Boards | Podcaster
10 个月Charles McLachlan makes interesting reading, do you think people like stereotype labels because they understand and make sense to them. Because you can have an energetic older as well as an energetic younger one or an Reliable younger person and an older one as well. Age and experience is some parts of the world is a valued and much needed commodity. Can we admit that not all older people are unproductive for example and start to dispel some of the myths.