Calling baby boomers wealth hoarders is ‘discrimination', say MPs
Calling older people 'wealthy boomers' amounts to age discrimination, a parliamentary report has found.
The Women and Equalities Committee criticised popular depictions of baby boomers, aged in their 60s and 70s, as wealth hoarders who enjoy luxuries at the expense of their children and grandchildren.
MPs also found evidence of ageist portrayals of older people as frail, helpless or incompetent.
Older people are at high risk of exclusion from key services including healthcare, local authority services, benefits and banking, the report found.
Furthermore, the report criticises the Government's digital inclusion strategy which it said hasn't been updated for over a decade.
The UK has 11 million people over the age of 65 and half a million over the age of 90, with these figures set to increase as the population as a whole gets older.
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP Sarah Owen said: 'The UK's growing and increasingly diverse ageing population presents significant cross-departmental challenges and opportunities, so the lack of a Government strategy on how to respond to these issues is concerning.'
The term 'baby boomers' refers to people born between 1946 and 1964. Last year, charity the Center for Aging Better argued that calling older people 'sweet' or 'kind' fuels a 'damaging stereotype' about ageing.
MPs have now asked advertising and media regulators to strengthen their rules against ageism.
In response to the findings the committee called on the Government to fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission to review the effectiveness of protections against age discrimination. It also recommended stronger protections against age discrimination in the workplace.
This view is supported by research from the Center for Aging Better which found one in four people think it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 because they will be a slow worker who will 'not be able to adapt'.
Last month, The Telegraph reported that civil servants have been ordered to stop using the term 'digital native' in job applications amid complaints of ageism.
Dr Carole Easton OBE, chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: It is so dispiriting that these attitudes persist when older workers have such potential to tackle skills shortages, help businesses to thrive and grow our national economy.
Sarah Owen added: 'Ultimately much more must be done to tackle ageist attitudes and discrimination across society, including in access to healthcare, local services, banking and transport.'
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