Written evidence from Centre for Ageing Better [ROP0046]

Introduction

We live in an ageing society, but there is huge unfairness in how we experience ageing. In less than 20 years, 1 in 4 people in England will be over the age of 65, and the 2021 Census showed that the fastest growing age group is those aged 80 and over.

The Centre for Ageing Better is working to make our homes, workplaces, and communities suitable for us all as we get older, as well as challenging negative attitudes so that nobody is held back by ageism.

We are charitable foundation that exists to tackle unfairness in ageing. We are funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and are part of the UK government’s What Works Network.

Summary of recommendations

Digital exclusion

1. All levels of government should continue to provide offline services for people who cannot use online alternatives because of reasons like cost, language barriers or disability.
2. All levels of government provide support for people to get online – whether through improving their digital skills or the provision of social tariffs for broadband.

Championing older people’s rights

3. The UK government should create a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing for England.
4. The Commissioner for Older People and Ageing should work with the UK government develop an ageing society strategy.
5. We recommend that all local authorities become Age-friendly Communities using the international best practice framework developed by the World Health Organisation.
6. The UK government and devolved governments could facilitate this by providing funding and support for places to become Age-friendly Communities.

Intersectionality

7. The UK government should strengthen rights to flexible working and introduce paid Carer’s Leave.
8. The UK and devolved governments should strengthen renters’ rights.
9. To prevent ethnic inequalities becoming more pronounced as people get older, government should develop a new race equality strategy that sets out how ethnic inequalities will be tackled across the life course.
10. The UK government and other institutions, such as the Office for National Statistics, should make ethnicity data reporting mandatory in all official and statutory statistics and data monitoring.

Stereotyping and discrimination

11. IPSO should add age to Clause 12 of its Editors Code of Practice.
12. The Advertising Standards Authority should set standards with regards to age.
13. Parliamentarians should engage with the Centre for Ageing Better’s ageism campaign and action day to challenge the negative impacts of ageism.

Labour market access

14. The UK government should actively promote initiatives that foster the development of multi-generational workforces, aligning with our Age-friendly Employer Pledge.
15. More employers should endorse the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.
16. The UK government should encourage employers to implement good recruitment practices for older workers, such as debiasing job adverts and including age in their ED&I frameworks.
17. The UK government should work towards establishing a day one right to paid carers’ leave.
18. The UK government should make the ability to access flexible working the default from day one, with the onus on employers to prove why it is not feasible rather than on employees to prove that it is.
19. The ‘Mid-life MOT’ pilot run by the Department for Work and Pensions should be expanded to more employers and those who are out of work.
20. The UK government should grant fund combined and upper-tier local authorities to deliver an employment support package targeted directly at over 50s.

Digital exclusion

What steps are required to prevent older people from being digitally excluded; and in what areas is digital exclusion of older people a particular concern?

1. Age is strongly associated with digital exclusion, and millions of older people are excluded or limited in how they engage online. One in three people aged 65 or over either do not have, or do not use, the internet at home[1] - approximately 3.2 million people in England. It is important to note that older people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities have the lowest level of digital usage[2].

2. All levels of government should continue to provide offline services for people who cannot use online alternatives because of reasons like cost, language barriers or disability.

3. Businesses and services need to provide alternative options to ensure that marginalised communities are not excluded. It is also worth considering how digital exclusion presents particular challenges for people living with disabilities, in rural communities and those who cannot afford internet access.

4. We recognise that the world is increasingly digital and internet access is becoming an essential utility like electricity and water. However, the digital world remains a challenge for many, particularly those who face other structural disadvantages, such as disability, poverty or language barriers. There is also an issue of low confidence[3] about using the internet amongst people who are offline, and those who are digitally disadvantaged or lack confidence using the internet are more likely to have been scammed multiple times in the past.

5. This makes it vital that more is done to prevent people being left behind due to digital exclusion. Therefore, we recommend that all levels of government provide support for people to get online – whether through improving their digital skills or the provision of social tariffs for broadband.

6. We are particularly concerned about the impact on some older people of train ticket office closures, which can lead to increased isolation or loneliness, as well as bank branch closures, which restrict access to cash.

7. There is also an issue in healthcare where a third of people not online experience barriers to interacting with healthcare providers[4]. Furthermore, people who speak English as their second language find it more difficult to access digital health services[5], such as online appointments, booking forms and accessing health information.

Championing older people’s rights

Are older people’s rights sufficiently protected in equality law (including with reference to justifiable direct age discrimination and age-related exemptions for financial services)?

8. The Equality Act 2010 permits age-based discrimination in circumstances that are deemed justifiable. However, we want age as a protected characteristic to be considered equal to other forms of discrimination in more scenarios than is currently the case.

9. Whilst we do not have legal expertise in this area, we recommend that the Women and Equalities Committee considers ways to strengthen the protection of age through the Equality Act 2010 by exploring the validity and rationality of minimum and maximum ages for jobs, age restrictions on tenders, and ensuring equal access to healthcare and financial services.

Are older people’s needs and rights given adequate consideration in Government policy-making? If not, what steps should be taken and what relevant national and international examples of best practice exist?

Commissioner for Older People and Ageing for England

10. We believe that the UK government should create a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing for England focused on the many older people who are currently marginalised in society through poor health, poverty, loneliness so that their diverse experiences are represented in policymaking. Once appointed, the Commissioner should work with the government to develop an ageing society strategy and help make this a fairer country to grow old in.

11. The UK government should produce an ageing society strategy to take account of the current needs of older people with the long-term implications of our ageing population. This strategy should be based on data and the insights of different communities’ experiences of old age. It should also set out clear steps to address the dramatic inequalities in the way we experience later life.

12. There is not currently an ageing population strategy despite the challenges and opportunities of such a significant demographic change. In contrast, the government published its Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges in 2019 which included a section on an ageing population, but this was withdrawn in early 2023 without being updated or replaced[6]. Whilst there is cross-party consensus on long-term ambitions for levelling-up and net zero carbon emissions, there is currently little joined up thinking about our ageing population. The introduction of workplace pension automatic enrolment was a rare example of the long-term policymaking that is needed, and is already improving the retirement savings of millions of people.

13. Wales and Northern Ireland already have Commissioners in place, and England has an independent commissioner championing the rights of children but no one with the legal power to do the same for older people.

14. Many older people feel like they don’t have a voice in the government that represents them, particularly those who face hardship or inequality. For example, policymaking often overlooks poorer older people, despite the fact that people aged 60-64 have the highest poverty rates among adults of any age.

15. A Commissioner for Older People and Ageing could highlight issues that people face in their later life, such as getting the right care and support, or financial struggles exacerbated by increases in the cost-of-living. A Commissioner would have the power and remit to bring together government departments to put in place solutions to resolve these issues, which would benefit everyone as they age.

Age-friendly Communities

16. An Age-friendly Community is a place that enables people to age well and live a good later life using the international best practice framework developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). By following this approach, local groups, leaders, councils, businesses and older residents will all work together to identify and make changes in both the physical and social environments. This includes improving transport, housing, outdoor spaces, volunteering and employment, leisure and community services.

17. The UK Network of Age-friendly Communities is made up of over 60 places across the country committed to making their community a better place to age in. Almost 25 million people are living in an Age-friendly Community, including places like Greater Manchester and Cardiff[7]. The Centre for Ageing Better works with the Network to provide guidance, connect places and offer support to member communities as they work towards making their services and infrastructure more age-friendly.

18. We recommend that all local authorities become Age-friendly Communities to ensure that older people are taken into account in decision-making and to improve the experience of people as they age. To become an Age-friendly Community, a local authority needs to have gained political commitment from its leadership and have a plan to start to embed the WHO framework in its area. The UK government and devolved governments could facilitate this by providing funding and support for places to become Age-friendly Communities. In Wales, this funding and support is provided by their Older People’s Commissioner.

Intersectionality

How does “intersectionality”, for example sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity and disability status alongside age, impact older people and require distinct policy responses?

Age & sex

19. Older women face the combined challenge of ageism and sexism which often presents itself as negative stereotypes of older women that older men do not face. This can affect the self-confidence of older women and amplify society’s negative view of women’s ageing.

20. This is reflected in the arts where our research into British films from the last decade found that female characters aged 65 and over are three times less likely to be featured in films than male characters of the same age range[8]. Improved representation of older women could help to tackle negative stereotypes.

21. Older women are also more likely than men to have caring responsibilities. Caring plays an important economic and societal role in the UK but it can often be time-consuming, tiring, and stressful – and this responsibility disproportionately falls on women. The peak age for women carers is 55-59, and almost 20% of women in this age group are unpaid carers. Whereas for men, the caring responsibility rate does not peak until 60-64 when 13% of men are carers. The result of this is that women adjust their lifestyles to make caring adjustments earlier than men, and this can have an impact on their ability to work unless flexible arrangements or paid carer’s leave are available.

Age & sexual orientation

22. The number of older LGBT+ people will increase significantly in the next few years, based on the number of LGBT+ people currently in their 40s and 50s, and will continue to increase into the future[9]. Older LGBT+ people often experience health inequalities[10], and unequal access to appropriate health and social care.

23. Exposure to discrimination, both historically and more particularly for older trans people in the current hostile climate, can have a lasting negative impact on health and wellbeing[11], and affect housing and employment options. Many are at greater risk of financial insecurity[12] in later life.

24. Older LGBT+ people are more likely to live alone, be estranged from biological families, and experience social isolation, but also have diverse forms of social and care networks that may provide support in ageing.[13]

Age & ethnicity

25. The number of people aged 60 and over from BAME backgrounds has increased by over 80% since the 2011 Census. This reflects the changing demographics of the country overall, and that migrants who have lived and worked here for decades are now older. This number is set to increase significantly in the next two decades, reflecting the diversity of people currently in their 40s and 50s. In England, there are over 1.5m people from BAME backgrounds in their 40s, compared to only 0.6m in their 60s.[14]

26. The inequality that exists between people from different ethnic backgrounds presents a new challenge as the older population becomes more diverse. Differences between ethnic groups in self-rated health can be seen as early as age 25 and these disparities become larger as people age. For example, around 20% of Bangladeshi women aged 50-64 report being in poor health, the same proportion as for White British women aged 85 and over – a gap of 30 years.[15]

27. People from some minority ethnic backgrounds are at particular risk of pensioner poverty. Among everyone aged 50 and over, relative poverty rates are highest among people of Bangladeshi (43.5%) and Pakistani (34.5%) backgrounds. In contrast, the relative poverty rate for White people aged 50 and over is 18%.[16]

28. There is a link between pensioners who are privately renting their home and poverty, with 17% of privately renting pensioners in poverty. With increasing numbers of people aged 50 and over privately renting, there is a risk that this will particularly impact people from BAME communities who are more likely to be privately renting their home. Almost 22% of people of Black African backgrounds aged 50 and over are privately renting[17]. Strengthened renters’ rights are important.

29. Older migrants are more likely to have low English-language proficiency[18]. Primary Care has a legal duty to provide interpreters but there is a shortage, and people are often asked to bring family members to interpret instead. This means that older migrants face a unique challenge accessing healthcare services.

30. To prevent ethnic inequalities becoming more pronounced as people get older, government should develop a new race equality strategy that sets out how ethnic inequalities will be tackled across the life course, to prevent them widening in later life.

31. Policymakers need to be planning for a more ethnically diverse older population, but don’t have the data to do this currently. The UK government and other institutions, such as the Office for National Statistics, should make ethnicity data reporting mandatory in all official and statutory statistics and data monitoring so that the understanding of systemic discrimination can be better understood and addressed through policy interventions. Surveys should include questions on ethnicity, identity, and key determinants, such as experiences of racism and racial discrimination.

Age & disability status

32. Age and disability status are closely linked given that the likelihood of experiencing disability increases with age[19].

33. The poorest people in society are hit the hardest by the intersectionality of age and disability status. They are the most likely to have a disability, the most likely to have a disability that limits their ability to carry out daily activities, the most likely to need help with daily activities, and, at the same time, are the least likely to receive help.[20]

Stereotyping and discrimination

How prevalent is ageist stereotyping and discrimination; what forms does it take; in what areas is it most common; what its impact is on older people; and how can it best be challenged?

34. Ageist stereotyping and discrimination is widespread in the UK[21]. A higher proportion of British adults have reported experiencing prejudice based on their age than on any other characteristic. One in three people report experiencing age prejudice or age discrimination[22].

35. Ageism has broad and far-reaching negative consequences. It can negatively impact a person’s physical and mental health and it can influence whether older patients receive treatment, as well as the duration, frequency, and appropriateness of that treatment[23].

36. Despite this, there are no standards that the press must adhere to on age. We recommend that IPSO adds age to Clause 12 of its Editors Code of Practice to bring it in line with the Equality Act 2010, where age is a protected characteristic, and ensure that age is treated equally to other forms of discrimination.

37. We also recommend that the Advertising Standards Authority set standards with regards to age. Specifically, they should look at harmful and ageist adverts in the same way that they would with race, gender and/or sexual orientation. This is also reflected in the underrepresentation of older people in advertising, with only 25% of TV adverts featuring characters aged 50 or older and only 5% of TV adverts featuring characters aged 70 or older[24].

Ageism campaign

38. As an organisation, we are preparing to launch the country’s first public-facing advertising and media campaign to try to shift the ageist attitudes that exist in society. We anticipate that this will generate conversations across the country about the value placed on older people in society and whether there are negative stereotypes that could be holding older people back.

39. This campaign will feature an ageism ‘action day’ on March 20th, where we will encourage individuals and organisations to take part in challenging ageism. We recommend that parliamentarians engage with the action day and use their platforms as elected representatives to challenge the negative impacts of ageism.

Ageist stereotyping

40. There is a particular problem with ageist stereotyping and discrimination in the media. A study of the age-related language used in web-based newspapers and magazines from 7,000 websites across 20 countries found the UK to be the most ageist of all[25]. And in research the Centre for Ageing Better conducted in 2021[26], 55% of adults agreed that the UK is ageist (with just 13% disagreeing). This proportion increases to almost three in five people aged 50 to 69.

41. There are countless examples of ageist stereotypes that are prevalent in society that reduce older people to less than they deserve. Some common stereotypes are that older workers are worse performing and more costly; that older people are frail and dependent; that an entire generation of older people are a burden to society, a ‘grey tsunami’ or a ‘demographic timebomb’; or that ‘baby boomers’ are hoarding wealth.[27]

42. Stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies, as they can affect how older people view themselves, their own capabilities and therefore the kinds of tasks and activities they engage with[28].

Age discrimination

43. Ageism can cause harms across a variety of contexts, including employment, health and social care, and media and culture. Ageism causes people to be excluded from society and its institutions; it also leads people to limit their lives, activities and aspiration, damaging their health and wellbeing. This negatively impacts the mental health, physical health and financial wellbeing of older people[29].

44. Ageism experienced by individuals translates into far-reaching negative effects on society and the economy. It can disrupt social cohesion by segregating age groups. This results in younger people being deprived of the knowledge and experience of elders, and older people being deprived of opportunities for relationships and connectedness.[30]

45. Furthermore, international data suggests that age is the most commonly reported reason for work-related discrimination[31]. Many older applicants are frozen out of the job market due to inadequate processes, age-bias and a lack of engagement from employers and recruiters. Over one third of older workers (aged 50-69) feel at a disadvantage in applying to jobs due to their age[32]. Marginalising older people in the workplace can ultimately lead to labour shortages, reduced productivity, greater reliance on welfare support amongst those affected, and reduce tax revenue to fund public services.[33]

46. With regard to healthcare, an international systematic review published in 2020[34] found widespread evidence of ageism, leading to older people being denied access to care and treatments, being excluded from research studies, and suffering cognitive impairment. In mental health services, for example, older people are more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than talking therapies, and the treatment of depression and anxiety in older people is not considered a priority in many areas.

47. Age discrimination is often best addressed by reversing negative stereotypes and using more accurate terminology to tell a new story. Individuals and organisations can help achieve this by[35]:

-          Shifting the association of older people with frailty, vulnerability and dependency so that there are more positive connotations with ageing.

-          Using more precise and accurate language such as “older people” rather than an outdated and unclear term such as “old-aged pensioners”.

-          Avoiding terms and language that evoke undue pity and make older people sound like a group that’s separate from the rest of society.

-          Recognising nuance of ageing, rather than assuming that there is an intergenerational conflict between older and younger people.

-          Using images that are more diverse, realistic and positive representations of older people.

Labour market access

What more needs to be done to support older people who want to stay in work longer?

48. The COVID-19 pandemic halted a two-decade-long trend of increasing employment rates among older age groups. In particular, the employment rate[36] for 50-64s remains significantly below its 2019 peak (72.7%), currently sitting at 71.0%. While other age groups have experienced a rebound in their employment rates, the older age group still lags behind.

49. Most people aged 50-64 are in employment. However, a large number are economically inactive, meaning that they are not looking for work. Most of the people falling in this category are retired, with no plans to return to work. However, huge inequalities persist in terms of control over when to leave the labour market, compounded by several factors. Poor health[37] and caring responsibilities[38] are key drivers of economic inactivity among the 50 to 64-year age group. Furthermore, once out of the labour market, research demonstrates that it can be harder for older workers to get back in compared to younger age groups[39].

50. The government should address the complex relationship between economic inactivity, health, caring responsibilities and age by encouraging age-friendly employer practices and developing forms of employment support that work for older age groups.

The following policy recommendations on age-friendly employment could reshape the support for older people who want to stay in work longer:

51. The government should actively promote initiatives that foster the development of multi-generational workforces, aligning with our Age-friendly Employer Pledge[40]. This framework identifies five key areas where employers can make changes to improve their age-friendliness:

1. Create and age-friendly culture
2. Hire age-positively
3. Be flexible about flexible working
4. Encourage career development at all ages
5. Ensure everyone has the health support they need

52. To demonstrate their dedication to establishing age-inclusive workplaces, more employers should follow the lead of over 250 companies and organisations, including the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury, by endorsing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.

53. Tackling ageism in recruitment practices is beneficial to both employers, who gain from a multigenerational workforce[41], and to individuals seeking longer careers. Stereotypes about age can affect recruitment decision-making, negatively impacting on the job opportunities of older workers. According to our research[42], more than a third of 50–69-year-olds feels at a disadvantage applying for jobs due to their age. The government should encourage employers to implement good recruitment practices[43] for older workers, such as debiasing job adverts and including age in their ED&I frameworks.

54. People in their 50s and 60s, particularly women, are likely to be unpaid carers[44]. Progress has been made to enshrine in law the right to unpaid carers’ leave[45], but legislation needs to go further. The government should work towards establishing a day one right to paid carers’ leave. Having ten days of paid carer’s leave per year and up to six months of unpaid carer’s leave would help unpaid carers be better equipped to balance work and caring responsibilities, allowing them to continue working for longer.

55. Greater flexibility benefits everyone, but particularly older people. ONS research reveals that nearly one-third of individuals aged 50-64 who exited the workforce during the pandemic and haven’t returned see flexible working as the most important factor in choosing a new job[46]. The appeal of flexible work arrangements is particularly pronounced among older individuals managing health concerns or caregiving responsibilities alongside their jobs. For this reason, the government should consider building on progress achieved through the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act (2023) and make the ability to access flexible working the default from day one, with the onus on employers to prove why it is not feasible rather than on employees to prove that it is.

56. Mid-life reviews looking at workers’ careers, finances and health as they age can provide people with trusted information about retirement and financial planning, helping them to make better informed decisions about their future. Research demonstrates that mid-life support has the potential to improve staff wellbeing[47], enabling people to work for longer and have a more successful transition to retirement. The ‘Mid-life MOT’ pilot run by the Department for Work and Pensions[48] should be expanded to more employers and those who are out of work. This expansion would ensure that mid-life reviews become a comprehensive resource for everyone to begin considering their future. Additionally, the government should explore proposals to introduce incentives and support mechanisms for employers to offer mid-life reviews.

The following policy recommendations are designed to make the employment support system work better for people aged 50 and over:

57. Many people in their 50s and 60s are neither working nor looking for work. Research indicates that once out of work older people are twice as likely as younger people to become long-term unemployed[49]. This disparity can be partly attributed to the underperformance of employment support services when assisting older job seekers. Those aged 50 and over suffer worse job outcomes after two years than the all age average of participants in the Work and Health programme[50], with less than a quarter of 50-54 year olds (24%), just over a fifth of 55-59 year olds (21.2%) and under a fifth of 60+ year olds (16.5%) getting a job in this time.

58. Government should grant fund combined and upper-tier local authorities to deliver an employment support package targeted directly at over 50s. We recommend that any support should embed our key principles for effective employment support for this age group[51], developed over the past six years through collaboration with a range of partners. We found that working alongside local community networks helps service providers to effectively engage with people aged 50 and over, who often find walking into a formal employment and training environment intimidating. Taking an empathetic, holistic approach to coaching, focused on confidence-building, helps people reach their goals by considering not just their work ambitions but also their physical health, emotional wellbeing, family and social life.

59. Our Redundancy Support Project demonstrated that confidence-building and peer support are central to stopping older workers falling out of work for good[52]. To further explore the practical application of these principles the Centre for Ageing Better, in collaboration with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), are working together to pilot and evaluate a new employment support offer for over 50s in Greater Manchester. This is due to begin in early 2024 and we would be happy so share emerging findings from this pilot and evaluation as and when possible.

November 2023