On defining ageism
- 1 October 1990
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Critical Social Policy
- Vol. 10 (29) , 27-39
- https://doi.org/10.1177/026101839001002902
Abstract
Ageism' has entered the popular vocabulary. whilst it is easy to catalogue examples of ageism, its definition remains problematic, frequently relying upon parallels with racism and sexism. This paper endeavours to draw out the distinctive character of ageism as it relates to biological ageing and to the measurement of age, as well as to the question of whether 'elderly people' are a minority group. We argue that a radical critique which only conceives of ageism as a conflict between 'society' and 'elderly people' is inadequate. In conclusion, we offer a basis for the definition of ageism and four principles for non-ageist action.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Dominant and Competing Paradigms in Gerontology: Towards a Political Economy of AgeingAgeing and Society, 1982
- Capitalism and the Construction of Old AgePublished by Springer Nature ,1982
- Age-Ism: Another Form of BigotryThe Gerontologist, 1969