The Negative Impact of Ageism Essay Example
Ageism can impact us and our daily lives. It is targeted to everyone in the business world and society. Ageism is common towards all ages but it is most common towards elders and us, the youth. Ageism against the youth should be taken seriously as Ageism against elderly people. It is a form of discrimination and it causes us to have limited rights in the United States.
Ageism against the youth should be taken seriously just as it is taken towards the elders as it is a form of discrimination. A primary example of that occurring would be when Christian was not able to join a church related activity because he was too young. In his perspective he states, “I have experienced ageism in a church setting...I was judge in the way that my age dictated what I’m capable of doing...I felt really bad and sort of unworthy...I was trying to join my church’s worship ministry but was denied by the leaders of the church because I did not understand the concept of worship and praise...I believe it was due to my age because having a understanding of worship and praise is something that isn’t limited by age...It saids in the Bible ‘LET ALL MY CHILDREN PRAISE’”.
Another time someone else was discriminated was when they were not allowed to have access to the same resources that older kids were able to get. For example, Ahyleen states, “ When I was in elementary I wanted to take a photography, fashion, and cinema class...They said i was too young. I had prior knowledge to sewing and I have work with camera’s before. They just thought I couldn’t do it because of my age. It lowered my self-esteem and it made me think I truly wasn’t capable because of my age, It also made me feel limited and it made me stop persuing my dreams.” This shows that by discriminating someone based off of their age, it closed opportunities and limits them from being able to participate in something just because of their age.
This also shows that being ageist towards the youth can impact their future in a negative way. Based on this it is evident that Ageism against the youth is as important as elders if not more because it not only affects the future of humanity but it also affects their wellbeing. Furthermore this demonstrates that ageism should be taken seriously as it can affect someone’s well being. In conclusion, discrimination is apart of ageism which affects the youth so it should be taken as serious as ageism towards elders.
Ageism against the youth causes us to have limited rights in the United States. An example would be the fact that in order for them to be able to report ageism against them has to be after the age of 39. For example according to the source, it states, “Age discrimination involves treating an applicant or employee less favorably because of his or her age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect workers under the age of 40”.
Another limit that is created because of ageism against the youth is employment. For example in the second piece of evidence, it states “When it comes to employment, the belief that young people are inexperienced and need to get a foot on the labour market – often at any cost – reigns supreme. While this may seem like a logical assumption, it can actually have disastrous effects on young people’s transition to independence and autonomy.
Providing the opportunity for young people to gain valuable on-the-job experience is often used to justify unjust practices such as youth minimum wages, whereby young people receive a wage below the national minimum wage because of their age. The ILO has indicated that youth wages potentially conflict with the principle of equal pay for work of equal value...promote the practice of unpaid internships, which are completely inaccessible to those young people who do not have the means to support themselves in undertaking unpaid work. Given these constraints, young people are increasingly turning to non-standard forms of employment, where job security is poor, wages are low, and even the most basic workers’ rights are not met”. These pieces of evidence show that ageism is real as it affects their lives poorly because of their age.
This also shows that the limits they face because of their age causes them to not be able to afford a job which shows that youths are set up for failure since they are not allowed to get employed without experience. They are youths meaning they don’t have hands on experience which decrease their chances of earning a job. This futher demonstrates, that ageism against the youth actually promotes unfair justice as they earn less than the minimum wage just because of there age. In conclusion, this shows that ageism against the youth create limits in the United States of America making it harder for the youth to be independent, be treated with respect, and to live a successful life.
In conclusion Ageism against the youth should be as serious as it is with the elders as it causes discrimination. It also causes the youth to have limited rights in the United States. This is important to understand because the youth faces ageism and it changes their mental state and not in positive ways. This is relevant in today’s society because it helps understand the youth’s point of view towards facing ageism at a young age and not being able to do anything about it.
