From Ageism to Age Equality: Addressing the Challenges ...

the use of upper age limitsa failure to take account of the situation, experiences or aspirations of older people when makingdecisions and allocating resourcesinadequate provision for the needs of older peoplethe segregation of older people as a result of the lack of real choice to remain within theircommunities.These sorts of institutional practices are shaped by individual attitudes and vice versa. This mix ofinstitutional practices and individual attitudes can lead to ways of relating to older people that can becharacterised by abuse, neglect, dependence and being patronised.The report has been well received by the social partners through the NESF and by a range ofGovernment Departments and State agencies. We must now move from consideration of the reportto implementation of the strategy.Age DiscriminationTo put the equality strategy into action we first need to eliminate age discrimination. The case files ofThe Equality Authority provide valuable evidence of the discrimination experienced by older peopleand therefore of the nature and size of this task. At the heart of many of these cases is the issue ofstereotyping, that is, of holding the view that an older person’s capacity, ambition and aspirationsare defined solely in terms of their age. This notion is deeply embedded in our culture. It gives riseto discrimination and is a driving force for ageism.63Examples of Discrimination from the Case Files of The Equality AuthorityEmploymentIn 2003, approximately one in ten (9 per cent) of The Equality Authority’s case files under theEmployment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004, which outlaw discrimination in the workplace, related tothe age ground. These almost exclusively involved older people. The issues covered reflect theparticular difficulties faced by older people who seek to participate in the labour market. Theyincluded claims of discrimination in relation to job advertisements, interviews, promotion andworking conditions.Job advertising including age restrictions has been an ongoing focus. A successful case againstRyanair highlighted the discriminatory nature of a job advertisement that sought ‘a young anddynamic professional’. Another case, Dunbar v. Good Counsel College, raised the issue of promotion.It found that Mr Dunbar was discriminated against because date of birth was used to determineseniority, resulting in the appointment of the older candidate, when both candidates had beenconsidered equally suitable for promotion. In another case, a firm of solicitors was found to havediscriminated against a woman who was told she was being made redundant because it had been‘decided to take on a young girl who could be trained to do her job’.From Ageism to Age Equality: Addressing the Challenges