Steryotypes

Introduction
People view stereotypes of old people differently, some as that old people are needy, unhappy, senile, inactive, and unable to learn new things and less useful their younger counterparts. Many old people fall victim to the stereotype because their younger generation takes them for granted to use, and abuse the elderly so that they can fall greed to reap their benefits wither its money or real-estate. These statements are stereotypes. However, Stereotypes are a set of beliefs which shape the way we think and behave in everyday life. Also, negative stereotypes such as the ones above, have an adverse effect on older people. Not only do they interfere with older people’s enjoyment in the latter part of life but they also have an l impact on people’s health and well-being as they age. Older Americans are faced with a variety of stereotypes.
Literature Review
They are seen by many people as being feeble in mind and body and as economic burdens on society, and they are labeled such as “geezers”. Even though the average American has a lifespan of 76.5 years and those who reach the age of sixty-five can expect to live another eighteen years it is often believed that they have little to contribute once they reach their sixties. However, this stereotype exists not just in the United States, but in other nations as well. At one time, American attitudes toward the elderly were more positive. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the aging were respected because they helped transmit wisdom and tradition to the younger generations. They were given the best seats in church, and instructed youth on how to behave toward their elders. One reason that the aged garnered this respect was because there were so few of them in colonial society.
Body
According to David Marshal, only two percent of the population at that time was over sixty-five years old. By the nineteenth century, American society had changed significantly. The elderly suffered as America progressed. The rise of an urban and industrialized nation meant that the skills and education of many of the aged were no longer useful. Because younger, healthier workers were more desirable for factories, mandatory retirement laws were passed as early as 1777(David Marshal). These laws forced the aging to leave their jobs, leading to poverty.
Old-age homes were established for those elderly who were poor and had no family to look after them; such homes further isolated the elderly from society. The negative attitudes toward the elderly have continued into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Many aged persons are isolated from their families; the majority live alone or with their spouse, with 60 percent of women over the age of eighty-five living alone.
Commercials and jokes frequently rely on stereotypes of the elderly, such as the belief that they are desperate to appear young and virile. Some people believe the Social Security system allows senior citizens to drain money away from tax-paying workers. However, for the aging Americans who do want to continue to work or return to the workplace, age discrimination often raises a barrier.
In the book the Aged and Aging in America, Ursula A. Falk describe the plight of the elderly who are healthy and want to find work but are made irrelevant because of their age: “Since occupation and work are the principal criteria of social prestige in America, the old, by being excluded from work are therefore devalued.” The United States is not unique in its attitudes toward the elderly (Ursula A. Falk). In other cultures and nations, the rise of urban industrialization has led to similar results. In African and Asian nations, when those countries were largely rural, older relatives used to live with their children and grandchildren. However, the limited space of urban housing makes such intergenerational homes less practical and less desirable. As a consequence, the elderly in these countries have lost their status in the family and society as a whole.
Nana Araba , a professor of sociology at the University of Ghana at Legon, writes that the increasing urbanization of African life has worsened the status of the elderly. In the past, the elderly were heavily involved in the rearing of children, helped make important decisions for the family, and were supported as they aged. As society became more urban, the aged began to lose their economic security. Furthermore, Araba writes, “They lost their former favored position in the extended family. No longer were the grandfather and grandmother the center of absorbing social life of their descendants but often became unwanted hangers in the activities of their children and grandchildren”( Nana Araba). Japanese society has changed in a similar fashion. Although elderly parents live with their children and grandchildren nearly three times the rate in other industrialized nations that percentage has dropped since 1970, when 80 percent of homes housed multiple generations.
According to Nicholas D. Kristof, a writer for the New York Time: How different county’s view old age serotypes , explains how different country’s view stereotypes of old people he states “Japanese attitudes are changing very rapidly and many young Japanese feel even less of a debt to their parents than do young Americans”( Nicholas D. Kristof). Despite the status of the elderly in many cultures, aging is not a universally negative experience.
In their book Successful Aging, John W. Rowe many of the stereotypes associated with the aging process, such as the beliefs that the elderly are in poor health or unable to learn new skills. Rowe also note that many elderly Americans contribute significantly to society and the economy but that since much of the work done by the elderly is unpaid, it does not receive its rightful recognition.
He write: “Almost all older men and women are productive in this larger sense. One-third work for pay and one third works as volunteers in churches, hospitals, and other organizations” (John W. Rowe). The attitudes toward the aging in America have long been evolving.People view stereotypes of old people differently. Some might want to live fast and die young others want to age gracefully and die whenever it is time.
I view stereotypes as if were all eventually going to get old and die someday but I don’t tend to stress myself about dying that only leads to more serous stress and increases your chances of fatal health. Stress can be the main cause why people view stereotypes of old people , every time you watch TV there’s always an commercial that wants to cure wrinkles or tighten up your skin because people are scared of aging towards death which causes the stereotype thinking they need something to sugar coat aging because it is near. We have seen how age-based generalizations can be used to stereotype diverse groups of people and to strip them of their Individuality, and of their choices. In particular we have looked at how mature age workers can be affected by unlawful age discrimination and the many different ways this can occur across the work-life cycle.
We have also considered the legal protections that currently exist and the ways people can enforce their rights. When unlawful age discrimination is encountered in employment, it can lead to detrimental financial and social outcomes for mature age workers, lost productivity for employers and greater reliance on social security for governments. As a society we are significantly lessened by all forms of unlawful discrimination.
But these problems are not unsolvable. Societies that experience these problems can change, adapt and evolve. The Solutions to the problems of unlawful age discrimination and the treatment of mature age workers. Of the kind that has built awareness of other forms of discrimination in our society. It can be changed through a greater awareness of our rights. Strengthening and reform of laws and policies, much needed further research and awareness raising education campaigns must be core initiatives if we are to confront systemic age discrimination. However, individual action is also important. We must start outing age discrimination whenever we see and experience it whether it be by pointing it out to friends, family, co-workers and managers, by lobbying members or by making a complaint either to management, to state and territory equal opportunity agencies, or Rights Commission. These are all actions that can assist in creating change.
Conclusion
Through these kinds of actions, a necessary level of choice and control can be returned to the lives of mature age workers which is essential to ensuring dignity and respect. We can take real steps to educate age discrimination in our workplaces and to educate the acceptability of ageism in all of life. With age equality as our goal, we will also be taking steps to ensure that human rights are respected and protected equally in a society that is truly inclusive of us all.

Reference Page Falk, Ursula A. "Ageism." The Aged and Aging in America. Charles C Thomas, 1997. 247+. Kristof, Nicholas D. "How different county’s view old age serotypes." Marshal, David. "Are you ready? What you need to know about ageing." 16 Oct. 2011. Nana Araba (2003-06-16). Your Aging Parents. In Parenting Your Aging Parents Rowe, John W. Successful Aging. 2006.

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