PORTRAYAL OF THE ELDERLY IN THE MEDIA: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL GERONTOLOGISTS

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Abstract
Negative stereotyping of the elderly has been identified as a significant social issue. The mass media are a potent source of socialization and may shape attitudes, especially those of children, toward the elderly. A number of studies have been done to investigate the portrayal of the elderly in the mass media. This study was undertaken to summarize and synthesize their findings. Twenty‐eight empirical studies, based on analyses of television characters and characters in print media, including children's books, magazines, and basal readers series, were reviewed. The elderly, especially older women, were widely under‐represented, with characterizations failing to reflect the size and proportions of the elderly population in the United States. The majority of the studies found that the elderly were generally depicted in a negative light and that elderly characters were rarely cast in major roles or fully developed. Several implications for educational gerontologists are discussed.