Tag: discrimination

AGEIST BRITAIN?

OVER A THIRD OF SCOTS REVEAL THEY FEEL NEGLECTED AFTER TURNING 50

·       Over a third (33%) of Scots revealed that 50 was the age they begun to feel neglected or invisible in society

·       36% of Scots over 50 don’t think brands advertise to their age and 17% don’t think magazines represent their age

·       Over half (56%) of Scots say that being neglected by society makes them feel underappreciated, and a third say it makes them depressed and anxious

·       This also impacted over 50s’ career decisions in Scotland, with a quarter (25%) admitting they feel they’re unable to apply for jobs because of their age

Over a third of Scots (33%) have revealed that 50 was the age they begun to feel neglected and invisible in society, according to new research by SunLife released today.

The research found that 56 was the average age Scots over 50 began to feel this way, and that over half (56%) of those over 50 said prejudice towards their age causes them to feel underappreciated, let down (34%) and depressed or anxious (36%).

The new Retiring Ageism report, which follows SunLife’s 2019 Ageist Britain campaign, surveyed 2,000 UK adults and analysed UK brands’ representation of over 50s across their marketing activity.

SunLife’s new research found that due to feeling neglected or invisible in society because of their age, a quarter (24%) over 50s living in Scotland are less inclined to try new things, and a third opt to stay home and miss events (31%).

A fifth (21%) of those over 50 said these feelings made them less inclined to keep fit, active and healthy, directly impacting their physical health. 

These feelings also influenced Scots over 50s’ career decisions, with a quarter (25%) admitting they didn’t apply for jobs because of their age and one in six (14%) not applying to a job they had wanted.

Feeling neglected also has a harmful effect on relationships, with 16% of Scots believing their friends and family don’t invite them out because of their age.

Claire Turner, Director of Evidence, Centre for Ageing Better, commented on the lasting effect misrepresentation can have on those over-50: “We know that ageism has a hugely devastating impact on people, and this report highlights the scale of the issue. Too many people are made to feel invisible because of their age.

“Ageism affects people at work, it affects people’s health, and it can affect the way they see themselves. Our research has found that many people over-50 believe they have been turned down for a job because of their age, and many have been put off applying for jobs as they sound like they’re aimed at younger candidates.

“From the casual ageism of products labelled ‘anti-ageing’ to the way we’ve seen older people spoken about during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that as a society we’ve got a long way to go on this issue. It’s great to see this report shine a light on the issue, and contribute to the vital conversation around ageism.”

Across the UK, SunLife’s Retiring Ageism report found that misrepresentation of over 50s remains prevalent, with more than half of adults over 50 citing that the fashion industry (56%), the sports industry (52%) and the business industry (43%) fail to represent their age well.

Additionally, over three quarters (78%) of those over the age of 50 said they hadn’t seen accurate representation of their age bracket by companies or celebrity personalities within the past year, with Nike, Next and Adidas called out as the top three worst brands for representing over 50s.

The media has also been revealed to mischaracterise over 50s, with just 15% feeling as though national newspapers represented their age bracket well, and only 12% feeling well represented in local newspapers. Furthermore, 21% of 50-59 year olds felt as though they didn’t see people their age in magazines, with this rising to a quarter (24%) of 60 to 69-year olds.

Ian Atkinson, director of marketing at SunLife, added: “We want to keep shining a spotlight on the issue of ageism – specifically, on the misrepresentation of the over 50s in society and the media. Our new report has revealed that this is particularly prevalent in the workplace, advertising and the world of entertainment.

“Unsurprisingly, it can have lasting effects on the mental and physical health of those over 50 who feel misrepresented, causing them to alienate themselves from family and friends. By raising the profile of this problem, we want to continue our ambition of retiring ageism once and for all and encourage other brands to cater to this age bracket who deserve to be recognised.”

Alongside the report, this year SunLife will be actioning three pledges to encourage brands to celebrate life over 50 and help retire ageism once and for all. These include sharing the research and image galleries with leading UK charities to help support them with their initiatives aimed towards over 50s, as well as developing a series of best practice guidelines to assist brands and media.

SunLife found that when searching for imagery of older people, the results often portray an inauthentic view of life after 50 and embody ageist stereotypes. To help counter this, SunLife have embarked on creating their own image galleries, generating these from photoshoots using real people to help authentically show the positive side of life after 50.

The full report and opening foreword from Ian Atkinson can be viewed here:

 https://www.sunlife.co.uk/siteassets/documents/sunlife-ageism-report-2020.pdf

People Experiencing Mental Health Conditions In Scotland Still Face Stigma And Discrimination

More than half of Scots (56 per cent) who have struggled with their mental health have been stigmatised or discriminated against because of it.

The new study, released today, found that people in Scotland are most likely to experience stigma and discrimination from those closest to them, from friends, family and work colleagues.

However there are signs of improvements, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they think public perceptions of mental health problems have improved over the past ten years.

The poll of over 2000 people, carried out by Censuswide, is part of the most extensive research into mental health stigma in Scotland for over five years.

We’ve been joined by TV presenter Gail Porter, who recently released a documentary about her mental health journey, to call for people across Scotland to be confident in recognising stigma and discrimination and knowing how to take action when they see it.

With one in three people in Scotland experiencing mental health problems, and more than half of those facing stigma and discrimination, that’s nearly a million people in Scotland who could be treated unfairly when they’re struggling.

The research also highlighted the difficulty people experience in getting help, with GP practices being the most common place that people say they face stigma and discrimination.

37 per cent of those surveyed, who hadn’t experienced mental health problems themselves, also said they had witnessed stigma and discrimination happening.

The poll also found that 27 per cent of respondents would not want a person who has a mental health problem to take care of their child and one in ten (11 per cent) would not be willing to have a relationship with someone with a mental health problem.

However 85 per cent believe it is possible to have a mental health problem and live a meaningful life.

Gail Porter said: “While I was enjoying a successful career on television, I was experiencing serious mental health illness, but at the time there was still a real stigma around the subject so I had to smile and carry on as normal. Hiding it like this just made things worse. 

“In those days, the media often labelled people ‘mad’ or similar derogatory terms, there was a stigma and discrimination around mental health that could quickly destroy your career.

“These days, It’s great that mental health is something that is talked about more openly and positively and the stigma has been reduced significantly but I think there’s a long way to go.”

The Mental Health Minister, Clare Haughey, said: “It is encouraging that 79% of people who were surveyed think that public perceptions of mental health problems have improved in the last 10 years – and that over half of respondents would feel confident to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination, especially when they have been the recipient of such stigma themselves.

“Whilst we can’t establish direct cause and effect in relation to such improvements, I am confident that See Me’s work has played a significant part in these positive changes in public perception, along with complementary awareness-raising action by other partners such as Breathing Space, NHS Health Scotland, and the Scottish Recovery Network.

“See Me’s survey also shows some negative findings about fears around mental ill-health. These findings are sobering and they reaffirm that, despite strong progress in improving public perceptions of mental health problems, there is still much to be done to tackle associated stigma and inequality.

“We will continue to work with See Me and other partners to build on the positive achievements so far, and See Me will use the findings of this survey to help inform the continuing development of their work in this area.”

Today along with the new study we releasing a new digital resource, the Journey of a Social Movement, which is designed to help people to see how they can tackle stigma and discrimination, by showing some of what See Me, our volunteers and partners have been doing over the last five years.

The most recent evaluation of our programme, carried out by the Mental Health Foundation Scotland, has also been published, demonstrating the impact from See Me over the last three years.

Wendy Halliday, See Me interim director, said: “Our research shows that 55% of people feel confident to challenge stigma and discrimination, but we need that number to be much higher, so no one is treated unfairly when they’re struggling.

“We need you to make a difference today. Knowing what to say and do isn’t easy, so we’ve released a brand new resource, the Journey of a Social Movement, where you can see how people like you have been challenging stigma and discrimination in their communities, with their friends and family, in their workplaces, at school and in health care.

“Start your journey today by visiting https://report.seemescotland.org.”

#itstartswithyou

 

UK Government must scrap illegal tenant immigration check law, say Scottish landlords

Scotland’s largest landlord membership organisation has called on the UK Government to scrap legislation which made landlords responsible for checking the immigration status of tenants, after the High Court in London ruled the law was in breach of human rights legislation. Continue reading UK Government must scrap illegal tenant immigration check law, say Scottish landlords

UK Government to host first ever Global Disability Summit

In her first speech as International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt today announced she will bring together global leaders and technology companies next year to tackle the barriers that prevent people living with disabilities in the world’s poorest countries from reaching their full potential. Continue reading UK Government to host first ever Global Disability Summit

Tackling hate crime: next steps announced

‘No place here for intolerance, discrimination or violence’ – Communites Secretary Angela Constance

A series of practical measures have been set out to tackle and prevent hate crime in Scotland, focused on tackling prejudice and building stronger communities.

Responding to the recommendations of the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime which reported in September, Communities and Equalities Secretary Angela Constance has confirmed:

  • Creating a delivery group of key partners with Ministerial oversight to ensure the advisory group’s recommendations lead to meaningful changes on the ground
  • Work with transport providers and disabled people’s organisations to deliver a hate crime charter for public transport
  • Tackling hate crime in the workplace, focusing on frontline staff, working with the STUC and others to gather evidence
  • A public campaign aiming to prevent hate crime by raising awareness of what hate crime is and how to report it and showing perpetrators the impact of these crimes on victims
  • Adopting the International Holocaust Memorial Trust’s definition of anti-Semitism – driving work to tackle this form of prejudice

Ms Constance (above) said: “These actions will drive practical measures in the months and years ahead that demonstrate Scotland’s leadership in the fight against hate crime. We are making abundantly clear that there is no place here for intolerance, discrimination or violence.

“We must continue to tackle the underlying causes and conditions that allow hatred and intolerance to flourish. It is vital in these challenging times that we remain united, which is why we are redoubling our efforts to promote fairness, equality and a respect right across our society.”

Hate Crime in Scotland 2016-17

Identifying Discrimination: free training

“The Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland is working to eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect and promote human rights and to build good relations, ensuring that everyone has a fair chance to participate in society.”

ehrc-scot-web

We have arranged for a half-day training event at the COSLA conference centre in Edinburgh on 9 December 2015. The training is tailored towards identifying potential discrimination and the next steps to take for your clients.

It would be appreciated if you could circulate this to any interested colleagues, staff or other organisations who you think would find the day useful.

If you want to book places or have any questions, get in touch with me on the details below.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Kyle Mulholland
Casework and Transfer of Expertise Officer

discEdinburgh 9 Dec 2015 – Identifying Discrimination