GENDER AND AGEISM

GENDER AND AGEISM

Gender and ethnicity must be recognized as having significant effects on the experience of aging according to (2000). Females born in 20005 are expected to reach the age of 81 and men 64 ( 1996). Women are more likely to live alone and to live alone longer and is more likely to live with functional limitations and to be poor (2000).

Portrayals of older men and women ranges from the subtle to the cruel. The sexless older woman is a common theme particularly in humor and greeting cards. Jokes concerning older women usually ascribe to the older woman the following characteristics: she is viewed as lonely, frustrated and shriveled (1997). In a different study,  (1971) asserted that these attempts at humor merely reflected societal attitudes.

Using  questionnaire, the final evaluation component of the study by (2000) includes a three-month follow up to further track study impact, specifically concrete actions taken and the tangible results. Their preliminary findings indicate that the project was successful in gauging and enhancing attitudes toward ageing among participants. It is anticipated that large-scale movement in how we think about seniors cannot be achieved following involvement in a one-day workshop.

 (1973) examined the portrayals of elderly people in prime time programming, looking specifically at frequency of appearance, image portrayed by use of contrasting pairs of attributes, and gender representation. The researcher concluded that the representation of the elderly is proportionate to population statistics at the time, but reported underrepresentation of older women. The image of men was considered “generally favorable” whereas no specific image of women was reported.

A medium like television, known for its emphasis on youth and beauty, fast motion and quick edits, condensed time and simplistic portrayals, is bound to exacerbate a potentially negative or even non-existent image of the elderly on television (1995).

asserts that the world of aging portrayed in the mass media has not traditionally been an enjoyable or positive one. The elderly population suffers from negative stereotyping more than any other identifiable social group. Preconceived notions about cognition, physical ability, health, sociability, personality and work capability perpetuate these negative stereotypes.

Finally,  (1990) contented that the self remains resilient in old age. Research indicates that older adults hold attitudes similar to those of younger adults with regard to life satisfaction and self-efficacy. Although not all older adults have intact selves and high levels of self-esteem, evidence suggests these individuals do not appear to differ significantly from younger adults in indicators of selfhood and the ability to adjust and cope.

Based on these propositions, (1990) presented potential strategies for successful aging. First, they argued a healthy life-style should be maintained in order to reduce the probability of pathological aging conditions. In addition, due to the great variability in the onset, direction, and the diversity of aging, they also stress the importance of avoiding simple solutions and encourage individual and societal flexibility.

With regard to cognitive abilities,  (1990) argued that aging individual should work to strengthen his/her reserve capacities because the greater one’s capacities are (e.g., physical, mental and social), the greater the likelihood of successful aging. Due to the limits of capacity however, contend that aging individuals should seek age friendly environments that would be less taxing on reserve capacities.

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