Ageism

Ageism refers to discrimination based on a person’s age. The term was coined in the late 1960s by the American psychiatrist Robert Butler, who created it to refer to discrimination against the elderly. Although a preponderance of research naming ageism as a concept remains focused on the elderly, the term has since expanded to encompass any form of age-based discrimination, including age-based discrimination targeting children and youth. This entry describes how ageism takes shape as a socially constructed discourse and as a material practice affecting young people. In keeping with the tendency of much contemporary research focused on discrimination, this entry also locates ageism intersectionally or in relation to how ageism against young people operates in conjunction with other forms of discrimination, before considering the ...