Age Segregation Awareness

Our society is a beautifully fractured thing, like shattered glass. The divisions that exist within are deep and drawn-out underneath layers of struggling history and stubborn opposition. Facets that create divisions among us are well known and they develop the grapple of our daily lives: race, ethnicity, gender, and religion. These prejudices infect society such as a virus. However, like many clandestine pathogens, one particular virus among our appropriated society remains concealed to the human eye. This hidden outlier is known as age segregation.

Age segregation is an occurring discrimination that separates a population based upon age. The most noticeable fracture in this sect occurs between adolescents and seniors. The ostensible argument of such information may lead to a superficial disagreement of such concept, especially since there is no apparent evidence that meets the eye. However, this makes age segregation an even more dangerous issue because many bystanders do not acknowledge or observe its detrimental effects.

The issue of age segregation lies within its impact. Research states that youth has become increasingly autonomous, due to technology dependency and environmental limitations, which causes them to rely less upon older generations for knowledge, interaction, and communication (binghamton.edu). The adolescents, who in a previous era might have spent significant time around adults (for instance farming, apprenticing, or helping with the family business), spend hours on social media, communicating with their peers rather than seeking influence of parents or seniors. This seemingly innocent separation between elders and young can actually instill distrust and prejudice between generations. It especially robs people of the chance to learn from those younger and older than them.

According to the UN.org, intergenerational issues have been occurring more frequently in our current society as the demographic changes have lead to a rapid increase in the older population, especially in developed nations. Gunhild Hagestad warns that the modern, age-segregated lifestyle, reflected in both living arrangements and production settings of developed nations, “may breed ageism and rob all age groups of valuable socialization experiences and support”(www.un.org). By the middle of this century, the old and the young will represent an equal share of the global population. The demographic transition in developing countries will occur at a much faster rate than it has in developed countries, and in many cases, the necessary infrastructure and policies will not be in place to deal with the issues that arise in consequence to this event (www.un.org).

On a micro level (community/individual-based), the issue of the generation gap is more obvious. There is obvious conflict of interest when it comes to creating policies that will benefit both generations. According to Wikipedia, the solution to resolving this issue is by creating intergenerational equity. In the sociological and psychological context, this is the concept or idea of fairness in relationships between children, youth, adults and seniors, particularly in terms of treatment and interactions (www.wikipedia.org).

In order to create a balance in society, there must be a way to merge the gap between the youth and seniors and reduce the isolation. Generations United (http://www.gu.org) created a program to merge the gap as well. The benefits of doing so produce phenomenal results. The seniors are able to stimulate learning, increase emotional support, improve health, and enhance socialization. The youth will benefit through interaction by enhancing social skills, decreasing negative behavior, and increasing stability.

The end of age segregation is not an impossible feat to achieve. The stability of future generations depends on our actions as of right now. It is our responsibility to spread the word and make it count. Do not allow intergenerational issues infect your community. Teach young about their responsibility to break age-related stereotypes and spend time with their parents, grandparent, and community youth. At the end of the day, the only cure to a dangerous virus is an effective vaccine. For age segregation, the vaccine is among us all.