Nursery World - Managing Equality and Diversity, Part 2: Age

Gabriella Jozwiak asks how settings can make sure they don’t discriminate against older or younger members of staff, and they encourage intergenerational understanding

In the UK today, age-related stereotypes abound. ‘Little old ladies’, ‘sulky teenagers’ and even ‘threenagers’ are in common parlance and are, many would argue, harmless ways of poking fun at downsides associated with a particular age. Yet age-related discrimination is still rife, with older people, for example, less likely to be retained by their employers, despite this being illegal (see box). Is there a link?

Bias against older people was first imaginatively brought to public attention by Patricia Moore in the 1970s, an industrial designer who was horrified to be told ‘we don’t design for’ people with arthritis. Then 26, she launched a daring experiment, dressing up as a woman in her eighties and spending three years travelling around the US and Canada. She wore fogged-up glasses, simulated arthritis by binding up her hands and feet, and wore shoes that were uneven. Based on her experiences, she transformed product design of household items and has become a campaigner for senior citizens.

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