This essay will discuss attitudes towards ageism in Ireland and whether they have changed over the last 20 years using sociological theories, primary data reports and newspaper articles . Ageism can be defined as “discrimination or unfair treatment based on a person's age”. Ageism can be found everywhere in today's society, from the healthcare system, to black balloons at birthday parties, to "senior moments" and anti-aging products like creams and Botox. Ageism will become a very important topic in the coming decades as Ireland's population ages. There are more young people in Ireland now. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Factors that can cause ageism include: “misconceptions, negative attitudes, and assumptions about older adults” these are all barriers to addressing ageism in society according to the World Health Organization. Another paper suggests that “age-related attitudes block young adults' capacity for compassion”, this may be linked to Butler and Lewis (1987) who state that “ageism allows younger generations to view older people as different from themselves,” which reduces compassion and alleviates fear. of aging. The fear of aging can easily be seen in today's society with a wide range of products available to treat wrinkles, age spots and sagging skin. People do everything they can to maintain their youth even by paying for expensive treatments like Botox and laser therapy. Butler (1969) believed that ageism had three components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The cognitive component is our beliefs and our stereotypes, the behavioral component is our indirect and direct practices and the affective component is our prejudicial attitudes. Ageism affects the well-being of the elderly. It reduces their self-esteem, their willingness to participate in society and causes fatalism and low expectations. Different sociological theoretical perspectives can be used to explain ageism. These perspectives are functionalist, conflictual and symbolic. Functionalism, a macro theory, studies how different parts of society work together to keep it running smoothly and what the results of that are. Elderly people are one part or group of this society just as children are another. The theory of disengagement falls within the functionalist approach. The disengagement approach was created by Cumming and Henry in 1961. It suggests that people withdraw from society and relationships as they age due to natural declines in physical and cognitive health. This withdrawal causes unhappiness as the person becomes directionless unless other activities can be found to fill the lack of the previous role. The theory suggests that this disengagement must occur to preserve the stability of society by encouraging older people to “disengage” to allow younger people to take on their roles. This can encourage ageism as older people are asked to step aside for the younger generation, leaving older people without a role. An example of this in Ireland would be the mandatory retirement age which does not take into account a person's health, willingness to continue working, etc. Conflict theory is another sociological way of describing aging. Conflict theory is a macro theory and can be traced back to the works of Karl Marx. Marx believed that in a capitalist society the rich (the bourgeoisie) owned all the businesses that gave them power over the working class (theproletariat). This imbalance causes conflict. Conflict theories examine how resources are divided in society, such as how wealth and power are divided among people. For example, groups in society fight over resources such as property. One conflict theory that describes the aging process is the exchange theory created by (Dowd, 1975). This theory suggests that as we age we have fewer resources, so we must submit to the will of others. This makes older adults less powerful as they have less to offer due to physical decline. This means they must submit to the will of younger generations unless they can hold back resources such as providing child care for their children. Conflict theory may view the elderly as an economic burden to a capitalist society where high costs of healthcare, etc., may reduce profits. Finally, symbolic interactionism can be used to describe ageism. Symbolic interactionism is a micro-analytic theory that studies how the interaction between individuals and people's perception of themselves influence society. For example, someone whose interactions make them feel valuable and loved will have a stronger sense of self. One theory in this category is the subculture of aging (Rose, 1962). This theory suggests that older adults are involuntarily/voluntarily excluded from groups due to their age, mobility, etc. and are forced to create their own groups, for example active retirement. One positive aspect is that this creates a strong sense of community in newly created groups, but on the other hand it can cause disengagement and withdrawal from the rest of society. Active Retirement Ireland, Ireland's largest organization for older people, has found that Ireland has become less age-related. They carried out research across active pensioner groups across the country and published a qualitative research report entitled “Towards an age-friendly Ireland: ageism and older people in 2018”. The research was conducted through interviews. The report found both negative and positive results. One of the most negative findings is that “43% experienced being grouped as “elderly, older, elderly or similar” in a negative way.” This shows that aging in Ireland is still seen in a negative light by many. Some of the more positive findings include: “Only 22% of older adults said they had experienced ageism in a healthcare setting, and only 19% of respondents indicated they had felt humiliated or hurt by comments about their age.” The most encouraging part of the report is that negative experiences reported by older adults dropped to 20% compared to “36% in 2008.” Overall, this report suggests that Ireland is going in the right direction regarding ageism and that there have been some improvements over the last 20 years, but other reports disagree with these findings. Other reports suggest that Irish attitudes towards age have not changed, especially in the United States. labor and health sectors. One such report investigating age and employment found that “87% of unemployed people under the age of 55 or older believe their age was a factor in them not finding work.” The report also shows that technology is an issue for older workers (71%) and that employers believe there is an age limit for customer-facing roles (William Fry, 2016). This really highlights some of the anti-ageing attitudes Ireland has if an older worker cannot work in a receptionist role etc. Another controversial age-related issue is agecompulsory pension. Every year people are forced to leave their jobs when they turn sixty-five. No attention is paid to their willingness to continue working, their health or their ability to work. This is completely discriminatory and is still extremely prevalent in Ireland today. Another area where older people experience age discrimination and attitudes is the Irish healthcare system. Here the elderly are often referred to as "bed blockers". People fail to see that they too have equal rights to healthcare. A report conducted on behalf of the National Council of Aging and Older People found that staff believe older people are not being referred for specialist services because of their age (McGlone & Fitzgerald, 2005). There was also evidence of preferential treatment towards people with an acute illness rather than with an acute and chronic illness (chronic diseases are more common in older people, for example diabetes). The report also highlighted that “lack of transport, waiting lists and prolonged waiting times” are all barriers faced by older people trying to access healthcare services. If babies or young children were subjected to this type of treatment by the healthcare system, there would be public outrage which would highlight Ireland's anti-aging stance. The final anti-aging aspect of Irish society that the author wishes to discuss is the lack of adequate transport for older people. and its role in causing loneliness. Losing a driving license can be very upsetting for an elderly person in a rural area as they have to depend on friends and family to get from one place to another due to the poor provision of public transport in rural areas. If rural bus routes are available, they often only run once or twice a day. The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) found that “58% of adults aged 50 and over living in rural areas rate public transport services in their area as poor or very poor” with low frequency of runs, threats of closure and difficult schedules being the main concerns. “12-18% of older people indicate that a reduced frequency of driving or no longer driving affects their ability to socialize,” which highlights the problem of loneliness that often affects older people in Ireland. The report found that “more than 37% of people aged 50 and older reported feeling lonely often or sometimes,” with the percentage increasing with age. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay This essay highlights that Ireland still has a long way to go in terms of ageism. Many things have not changed in the last twenty years, such as employment equality and health care. The lack of adequate public services, such as transport and healthcare, is also indicative of Ireland's attitude towards its elderly population. The author believes that Ireland needs a strategy to address these views and to promote a more equal society with equal access to resources such as transport and employment. In Canada, for example, you cannot be forced to retire based on age alone. A system like this in Ireland would be extremely beneficial as Ireland's population ages. In conclusion, the author believes that attitudes towards ageism in Ireland have not changed in the last twenty years. Only one report suggested that there had been some changes in the right direction, but overall in terms of policy and service provision, Ireland.