Ageism in Australian society
Understand ageism in Australian society: explore its causes, impacts, and evidence-based solutions for building age-inclusive communities and workplaces.
Summary
Ageism affects people across all stages of life but poses particularly significant risks to the health and wellbeing of older people.
The Age Discrimination Commissioner is leading national efforts to address ageism in key social sectors, such as health, aged care, and the media.
This work builds on research showing the widespread nature of ageism in Australian society and aims to shift both community attitudes and institutional practices that reinforce it.
Understanding ageism
Ageism is a serious problem affecting people of all ages and across all life stages. The World Health Organisation’s 2021 Global Report on Ageism called it “prevalent, ubiquitous and insidious” (p. IX).
Ageism manifests in three interconnected ways:
- Stereotypes: how we think about people based on age
- Prejudice: how we feel about people based on age
- Discrimination: how we act towards people based on age
While people of all ages can and do experience ageism, it has particularly serious consequences for older people’s health and wellbeing. It denies people the right to meaningful and respectful employment, the right to be heard in decisions that affect their care and support, and it underpins all forms of elder abuse.
Ageism statistics
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2021 report, What’s age got to do with it?, based on a national survey of adults in Australia, found:
- 90% believed ageism exists in Australia
- 83% considered it to be a problem
- 60% reported they have stereotyped or made assumptions about others based on age
- 52% believed making jokes about age is more socially acceptable than making jokes about other things, such as race or gender
The Commissioner's work
Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM's priority is preventing the harmful and wide‑reaching impacts of ageism.
- Ageism in the media
- Released the Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing report in 2024, which examined how ageing and older people are portrayed in Australian media, highlighting the structural factors contributing to these narratives.
- Ageism in health care
- Released the age barrier: older adults’ experiences of ageism in health care report, which draws on the lived experiences of older patients, their families and sector experts, supported by a comprehensive literature review. It found that perceptions of ageism are widespread across all levels of the health system—from how older people are treated by staff to broader systemic and policy issues.
- Launched the Breaking the age barrier: transforming age attitudes in health care project, which aims to embed positive attitudes toward ageing across the health sector. Workshops help participants reflect on attitudes and assumptions about ageing and explore practical strategies to improve care and support positive ageing.
- Released the age barrier: older adults’ experiences of ageism in health care report, which draws on the lived experiences of older patients, their families and sector experts, supported by a comprehensive literature review. It found that perceptions of ageism are widespread across all levels of the health system—from how older people are treated by staff to broader systemic and policy issues.
- Advocacy and engagement
- The Commissioner actively engages with stakeholders across sectors and advocates through submissions, statements, and speeches to combat ageism and promote the rights of older people in sectors such as aged care.
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