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ABSTRACT
Ageism is pervasive throughout society, and it is an especially important issue for nurses because the nursing workforce is aging rapidly. This article explores ageism as it applies to women and nurses, along with the myths and realities about this prevalent attitude. It also presents strategies for managing and educating the aging nursing workforce. AORN J 75 (June 2002) 1101-- 1107.
The idea of aging is feared by many because older adults often are maligned and ignored. It is believed that the reality of infirmity and death often is denied because people secretly cherish a belief in their own immortality.1 Infirmity threatens the ideology of rugged individualism and independence, and many people regard growing older as something that happens to other people and not to themselves. Yet ageism permeates all areas of society, and to many "old" has become a dirty word.2
The first director of the National Institute on Aging introduced the term ageism in 1969 to describe a form of bigotry directed toward those who are considered old.3 It recently has been defined as a process of systematically stereotyping and discriminating against people based on age.4 One researcher compares ageism to racism and sexism and states that ageism is a form of oppression that not only limits people who are objects of that oppression, but also influences all people, regardless of age, who have ageist attitudes.5
Ageism is an often ignored topic in nursing. Although it conflicts with the philosophy of nursing as a caring profession, the issue of ageism in nursing needs to be addressed for several pragmatic reasons. Foremost, ageism affects women more than men, and the majority of nurses are women. In addition, the nursing workforce is aging rapidly, and ageist attitudes against older workers are prevalent.
WOMEN AND AGEISM
A major demographic trend of the aging population is the increasing number of women. In 1960, 55% of people older than age 65 were women-by 2000, that percentage rose to 61%.6 Moreover, 72% of individuals older than age 85 are women. Older women also are becoming increasingly visible in the workforce. Although the percentage of working men ages 55 to 64 has decreased from 80% in the 1950s to 1970s to 66% in 1995, the percentage of...