​Age should never determine a person's dignity, opportunities, or rights
.
​Age is a natural part of life, yet people of all ages can experience stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination simply because of how old—or how young—they are. Understanding ageism is an essential step towards building societies where every person is treated with dignity, respect, and equal opportunities throughout their lives.
​
Demographic change is resulting in unprecedented numbers of older people worldwide. The global population aged 60 years or over is about a billion, and expected to double by 2050, when it is projected to reach nearly 2.1 billion.

Thereby, greater numbers of people are affected directly by age discrimination and ageism every day. 
Picture
What You'll Explore

👥 What is ageism?
🧠 The three dimensions and the scale of ageism
⚖️ Age equality and human rights
🌍 ​Challenging Ageism Starts With Us​
🤝 Good practices

What is Ageism?
Ageism is how:
  • we think (stereotypes),
  • feel (prejudice) and
  • act (discrimination towards others or ourselves) based on age.
​The Three Dimensions of Ageism:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ageism thrives through three distinct internal and external mechanisms: 
  • Stereotypes (Cognitive): How we think about age (e.g., assuming younger people are automatically unreliable or older people cannot grasp new software)
  • Prejudice (Affective): How we feel about age (e.g., feeling resentment toward a younger manager or impatience with an older customer).
  • Discrimination (Behavioral): How we act based on age (e.g., refusing to hire someone over 50 or denying a young person a promotion they earned).
​
​Scale of Ageism:
  • Institutional ageism refers to the laws, rules, social norms, policies and practices of institutions that unfairly restrict opportunities and systematically disadvantage individuals because of their age.
  • Interpersonal ageism arises in interactions between two or more individuals.
  • Internalized (Self-directed) ageism occurs when ageism is internalised and turned against oneself.

Age Eguality & Human Rights

​
After 16 years of discussions, in 2025, UN Human Rights Council created the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons with the mandate of elaborating a draft international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons with the objective of promoting, protecting and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by older persons. 

The first session of the intergovernmental working group was held from 13 to 17 July, 2026 at Palais des Nations. 

​Age Equality in Europe: Progress and Remaining Challenges

What is Protected ✅
What Still Needs Improvement 🚧
Protection against age discrimination under EU law, particularly in employment.
No comprehensive EU legislation prohibiting age discrimination in all areas of life (such as access to goods and services).
The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination, including on the grounds of age
.Unequal protection against age discrimination across different sectors and Member States
The Council of Europe Recommendation on the Human Rights of Older Persons (CM/Rec(2014)2) provides guidance on protecting dignity, autonomy and participation.
The Recommendation is not legally binding, so implementation depends on individual governments.
The European Convention on Human Rights protects fundamental rights that also apply to older persons.
The Convention contains no specific provisions dedicated to older persons
The European Social Charter promotes social protection, healthcare and social inclusion. 
Significant differences remain between countries in access to long-term care and social support.
European institutions promote active and healthy ageing, lifelong learning and participation.
Age stereotypes and ageism remain widespread in workplaces, healthcare, media and everyday life.
Growing recognition of the importance of preventing elder abuse and neglect.
Elder abuse remains underreported and many victims never seek help or receive support.
Increasing attention to digital inclusion for older persons.
Many older people still face barriers to digital services, online information and digital skills training.
Picture
FREYR INQUIRY LAB: 
Challenge Age Stereotypes
​
  • Can younger and older generations learn from one another?
  • How can schools, workplaces, and communities encourage greater intergenerational understanding?
  • What qualities do you value in a person that have nothing to do with age? 
  • Have you ever made assumptions about someone because of their age?
  • Can age stereotypes affect both younger and older people?
  • How can different generations learn from one another?
  • Why is age equality important in workplaces, schools, and communities? 

​Challenging Ageism Starts With Us​
Ageism often appears in everyday language, jokes, assumptions, and expectations that go unnoticed. Challenging these stereotypes, valuing people of all ages, encouraging intergenerational dialogue, and recognising everyone's contributions are practical ways to build more inclusive communities where every person is treated with dignity and respect.
​
ANTIAGEISM Good practice:
Resources:
© COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

​


​WE SUPPORT: