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# 1.3 Age discrimination

Stereotypes and prejudice are how we think and feel. Discrimination is how we act.

> Direct age discrimination can be defined as treating people differently based on stereotypes or prejudice.

> Indirect age discrimination can be defined as ‘treating everyone the same’ without accounting for individual needs.

Both direct and indirect age discrimination occurs on both a personal and organisational / institutional level.

## Activity 4

5 minutes

Think about whether the following are examples of direct or indirect age discrimination:

A gym refusing a 76-year man membership because of his age.

Direct age discrimination
Indirect age discrimination

### Answer

Direct age discrimination, he has been treated differently.

A Local Authority requires people to access important services — such as applying for Blue Badges, ordering recycling bins, or booking a computer at a library — exclusively through an online portal, with no alternative by phone or in-person.

Direct age discrimination
Indirect age discrimination

### Answer

Indirect age discrimination, it puts older people at a disadvantage as they are less likely to be digitally included.

A line manager refuses a request for training because the employee is close to retirement.

Direct age discrimination
Indirect age discrimination

### Answer

Direct age discrimination, the employee has been treated differently due to their age.

Stereotypes and assumptions

Age-based stereotypes may also result in someone drawing very different conclusions when seeing an older and a younger adult with back pain or a limp. They might well assume that the younger person's condition is temporary and treatable, perhaps the result of an accident, while the older person's condition might be assumed to be chronic and less responsive to treatment.

This assumption may have no consequence if someone makes it in the blink of an eye as someone is passing on the street, but if it is held by a health professional offering treatment or managers thinking about occupational health, it could inappropriately influence their actions and lead to age-related discrimination.

This treatment can occur as the result of ageist stereotypes and prejudice or because of a failure to see individual differences.

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OpenLearn - Ageism and age discrmination
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