AGEISM

Ageism^[1][2][3] is discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age.

The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism.^[4]

Butler defined "ageism" as a combination of three connected elements.

Originally it was identified chiefly towards older people, old age, and the aging process;

discriminatory practices against older people;

and institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about elderly people.^[5][6]

Ageism is often attributed to fears of death and disability, with avoiding, segregating, and rejecting older people serving as coping mechanisms that allow people to avoid thinking about their own mortality.^[12]

Stigma and discrimination around the loss of physical or mental capacity is actually ableism, not ageism, and aging is lifelong.

Like other forms of bias, ageism is not based in biology but socially constructed.