Launching Age Positive: time to buck age stereotypes

Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, has today taken steps to encourage people to see tomorrow’s International Day of Older Persons as something more than merely symbolism.

“In Australia, as in many other western countries, we have found ourselves in the situation where ageing is viewed negatively and destructive generalisations about our abilities once we pass a certain birthday – be that 45, 50 or older – are accepted as true” Commissioner Ryan said. “We need to seize this day to confront these unhelpful stereotypes head on.”

So today, Commissioner Ryan launched her Age Positive website, www.humanrights.gov.au/age-positive/index.html, which features stories from real people telling of their dynamic, active lives in older age.

“We’ve invited people from the community to send in their positive stories of ageing, and their photographs, so that people can view them – not only for inspiration, but also so they can see that the stereotypes that have developed in our community about older people are flat out wrong in most cases,” said Commissioner Ryan.

Ms Ryan said that negative stereotypes about older people are not only causing discrimination in employment practices and the provision of financial services, but in an environment of skills shortages, they are costing both businesses and the community economically.

“Ageism and age discrimination is not only seeing people forced out of work or into more tenuous work, it is – through discriminatory policy in areas like superannuation and workers’ compensation – also costing many people their ability to secure financial independence in older age,” said Commissioner Ryan. “For the good of us all, these attitudes have to change.”

Ms Ryan said that a great many people wish to keep working and developing in older age, and are just as capable as they had always been. She said it is time that businesses took steps to ensure they continue to have the opportunities they had before they were judged “too old”.

“One of the areas in which older people are stereotyped as being ‘past it’ is in relation to the use of technology, including the internet,” said Commissioner Ryan. “So I have begun visiting internet kiosks around the country, dedicated to older people, so I can hear and see how they use this technology and what their needs and experiences are in the broader community.”

Commissioner Ryan began this week by visiting the Harris Community Centre in Ultimo, in Sydney, where she met a number of older people participating in internet classes. As her role takes her around the country, she intends to make visits to these centres as often as she can.

The Age Positive website is continuing to accept stories and photographs.

Source :Australian Human Rights Commission

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