MPs have said there is “widespread” ageism ingrained in UK culture that must be addressed. This comes after a report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee found “clear evidence” that attitudes towards older people contribute to the normalisation of ageism.
The report criticises “highly prevalent” portrayals of older people in UK media as “frail, helpless or incompetent,” or as “wealth-hoarding ‘boomers‘”. It claimed such portrayals were a “significant contributory factor to the normalisation of ageist attitude”.
The authors say ageism is so “culturally embedded” in the UK that the government needs to establish a commissioner for older people in England, to help improve the lives of those aged 65 and over.
Negative stereotypes towards older people had the effect of “pitting generations against each other and breeding unnecessary and unhelpful division”, according to the report’s authors.
An example of cultural ageism could be popular “OK Boomer” memes, which are often used in the context of dismissing older people’s opinions. MPs also said older people were “frequently stereotyped as wealthy “boomers” living comfortable lives in homes they own while younger generations struggle on low incomes, unable to afford to enter the housing market and struggling with high rents”.
As a result of their findings, the committee wants to see a crackdown on these stereotypes towards those aged 65 and over. They want watchdogs such as the Advertising Standards Authority and Ofcom to “take steps to strengthen their respective regulatory codes to better protect individuals and society from the harms of pervasive ageism”.
The committee also looked at the problem of digital exclusion, where older people struggle to access services such as banking and healthcare due to systems being moved exclusively online. As a result the report said offline alternatives must be made available where there was demand from older people.
Committee Chairwoman, Labour MP Sarah Owen, said: “Ultimately much more must be done to tackle ageist attitudes and discrimination across society, including in access to healthcare, local services, banking and transport.”
Owen also argued that the government should also establish a cross-government minister to champion the rights of older people.
“The committee’s report shows clearly that age discrimination is widespread in the UK and often minimised compared to other forms of discrimination,” she said.
“A comprehensive review of age discrimination law is a necessary step in tackling the UK’s pervasively ageist culture.”
Ms Owen added: “The UK government should look to the experience in Wales, which has a dedicated commissioner for older people and a national strategy, and consider how to give older people a much stronger voice in policy making in England.”
The Charity Centre for Ageing Better welcomed the report and encouraged the government to act on the committee’s recommendations.
Dr Carole Easton OBE, the charity’s chief executive, said: “The wealthy baby boomer is one of the most common ageist stereotypes used in the media.
“It overlooks the fact older age groups are incredibly diverse – for example, people aged 60-64 have among the highest poverty rates among adults of any age and the fact the number of pensioners who could not afford to keep their home warm more than doubled between 2019-20 and 2022-23.”