Age is a protected characteristic, enshrined in the Equality Act. We know the effects of ageism can be widespread and damaging. But what happens when age combines with other identities such as race, gender or sexuality?
COVID-19 and our response to it and the subsequent economic fallout have shone a spotlight on the cumulative disadvantages that some members of our society face.
We’ve long known that the health inequalities being exposed more starkly by COVID-19 are manifestations of the structural barriers and systemic discrimination faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
As we work to build back a future that ensures all people, regardless of race or income, have the opportunity to make the most of a longer and healthier life, our expert panel will explore what more can be done to tackle discrimination on the basis of age, and how the influence of multiple personal characteristics – known as 'intersectionality' – can result in a 'double jeopardy' where already marginalised groups are further stigmatised as they get older.
