--- title: The role of the media in age discrimination description: Explore how the media perpetuates age discrimination and stereotypes, impacting societal perceptions of aging. Discover how inclusive representations can combat ageism. image: https://ageinc.au/hubfs/download%20copy.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://ageinc.au/blog/the-role-of-the-media-in-age-discrimination#main) [![AgeInc\_Burgandy\_deep](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png?width=150&height=74&name=AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png) ![AgeInc\_Burgandy\_deep](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png?width=150&height=74&name=AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png) ![AgeInc\_Burgandy\_deep](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png?width=150&height=74&name=AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png) ![AgeInc\_Burgandy\_deep](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png?width=150&height=74&name=AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png)](https://ageinc.au) - [Show submenu for Age endorsement Age endorsement](https://ageinc.au/get-endorsed) - [Why get endorsed](https://ageinc.au/why-get-endorsed) - [APSCo Endorsement](https://ageinc.au/apsco-endorsement) - [How to get endorsed](https://ageinc.au/how-to-get-endorsed) - [Employer resources](https://ageinc.au/employer-resources) - [Insights](https://ageinc.au/blog) - [Events](https://ageinc.au/events) - [Show submenu for About About](https://ageinc.au/about) - [Age inclusivity](https://ageinc.au/age-inclusivity) - [Partnerships](https://ageinc.au/partnerships) - [Media](https://ageinc.au/media) - [Our Associations](https://ageinc.au/our-associations) - [Contact](https://ageinc.au/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Age endorsement Age endorsement - Age endorsement - [Age endorsement](https://ageinc.au/get-endorsed) - [Why get endorsed](https://ageinc.au/why-get-endorsed) - [APSCo Endorsement](https://ageinc.au/apsco-endorsement) - [How to get endorsed](https://ageinc.au/how-to-get-endorsed) - [Employer resources](https://ageinc.au/employer-resources) - [Insights](https://ageinc.au/blog) - [Events](https://ageinc.au/events) - Show submenu for About About - About - [About](https://ageinc.au/about) - [Age inclusivity](https://ageinc.au/age-inclusivity) - [Partnerships](https://ageinc.au/partnerships) - [Media](https://ageinc.au/media) - [Our Associations](https://ageinc.au/our-associations) - [Contact](https://ageinc.au/contact) - Search - [Apply now](https://ageinc.au/apply) [Apply now](https://ageinc.au/apply) Search # The role of the media in age discrimination ![Richard Spencer](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Richard%20Spencer.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=Richard%20Spencer.jpg) by [Richard Spencer](https://ageinc.au/blog/author/richard-spencer) ## Perpetuating the myths – ageism in the media   Bluey is ratings gold for the ABC.  She and her little sister Bingo are a tour de force.  Bluey is ABC’s most successful show ever and has won 3 Emmys, 5 AACTAs, 2 Logies, and a Bafta. But Bluey, as a show rather than a character, helps to reinforce myths and negative perceptions of older people.  Take for example the character description of Bluey’s grandfather on the show’s website: Mort is Bluey’s grandad. After a career in the army, he has since retired to a life of canoeing, bush walking, and eating curried sausages. Mort hasn’t kept up with technology over the past couple of decades and is still surprised that ‘this internet thing has really taken off!’ ![Mort](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Mort.png?width=463&height=600&name=Mort.png) Whilst there’s no definitive age for Mort (or indeed any of the other Bluey characters), a detailed analysis by [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/bluey/comments/wxrzus/age_of_characters/)users of the plot lines suggests that Mort could be as young as 66.  66 year old people are not surprised that ‘this internet thing has taken off’, far from it.  Denied to Many’s Voice of Experience research shows that 50.8% of all Australian’s aged 50+ use the internet every day, as against 6.2% who still read a daily newspaper (another common misconception regarding media usage). With so few positive images, characterisations, and stories in the media about being aged 50+, we have created a limited exposure to what positive ageing can look like.  In this context, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ is in effect Contact Theory, or the psychological concept that proposes that interactions between members of different social groups can reduce prejudice, improve intergroup relations, and promote social cohesion.  By facilitating positive marketing led images, characterisations and interactions between people of different age groups, Contact Theory suggests that we can help challenge stereotypes, foster understanding, and promote empathy, ultimately reducing ageist attitudes and behaviours. Contact theory, put simply, determines that increasing the presence of positive images of older adults in media can help improve that group’s attitude in real life, because the way marketers represent older people does influence the ways in which consumers conceptualise ageing. Embracing this change would lead to both better marketing of products and services to people in midlife and should lead to a reduction in age discrimination in an employment environment.  Whilst 53% of our Voice of Experience survey respondents felt they had been discriminated against when applying for a new job, 21.3% felt discriminated against by their current employer, often by their colleagues rather than their manager.  Almost 70% attributed their feelings of discrimination to comments or messages from colleagues, something which better representation of older people in media and advertising would help address as generally held beliefs are mitigated. There are in fairness, great examples of how differently we are starting to portray people in their 50’s.  Take the comparison of the TV shows ‘The Golden Girls’ with ‘And Just Like That…’  ![Betty White](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Betty%20White.png?width=786&height=535&name=Betty%20White.png) The Golden Girls, starring Betty White amongst others, aired between 1985 and 1992, revolves around four older single women, three of whom are widowed and one divorced.  "And Just Like That..." is the sequel to the iconic HBO show ‘Sex and the City’ and premiered in December 2021. Set in New York City, the show follows the lives of its three central characters, Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York. ![The Golden Girls](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Golden%20Girls.jpg?width=1017&height=609&name=The%20Golden%20Girls.jpg) While both shows feature leading ladies navigating life's ups and downs, ‘And Just Like That...’ focuses on modern women in New York City navigating the complexities of friendship, love, and self-discovery in their 50s, whereas ‘The Golden Girls’ centres around a group of older women embracing friendship and adventure in their golden years. ![download-1](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/download-1.jpg?width=1200&height=883&name=download-1.jpg) What’s most interesting however, is that the characters in ‘The Golden Girls’ are younger than those depicted in ‘And Just Like That…’ a very positive shift in the media’s portrayal of women in midlife. But is that example something we’ve all embraced?  Ask yourself, if someone asked you to visualise someone in their fifties, would you imagine Betty White or Sarah Jessica-Parker?  Would you visualise Eminem (51), Idris Elba (51), Jamie Foxx (51) or even Halle Berry (57)? Overall, media and advertising both play a significant role in shaping societal perceptions of age and ageing. By promoting more inclusive and diverse representations of age, challenging stereotypes, and avoiding ageist messaging, advertisers can help actively combat ageism and contribute to a more age-friendly and equitable society. **Tags:** [Age Discrimination,](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/age-discrimination) [Age Inclusivity,](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/age-inclusivity) [Age-positive media,](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/age-positive-media) [Positive aging,](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/positive-aging) [Combatting stereotypes](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/combatting-stereotypes) ![Richard Spencer](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Richard%20Spencer.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=Richard%20Spencer.jpg) Post by [Richard Spencer](https://ageinc.au/blog/author/richard-spencer) ### Related Articles ##### [![RIP retirement: We're facing the death of retirement as an economic norm](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/elderly-2914879_1280.jpg?width=520&height=294&name=elderly-2914879_1280.jpg) Age Discrimination • Sep 12, 2025, 1:37:44 PM RIP retirement: We're facing the death of retirement as an economic norm 4 min read](https://ageinc.au/blog/the-death-of-retirement-as-an-economic-norm) ##### [![A quarter of HR managers think that 50 is too old!](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/499_83c1baad04ce6c7.jpg?width=520&height=294&name=499_83c1baad04ce6c7.jpg) Age Discrimination • Jul 29, 2025, 4:28:24 PM A quarter of HR managers think that 50 is too old! 4 min read](https://ageinc.au/blog/a-quarter-of-hr-managers-think-that-50-is-too-old) ##### [![Now is the time to get serious about ageism in the workplace](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/2201_d46eac2360256b7.jpg?width=520&height=294&name=2201_d46eac2360256b7.jpg) Age Discrimination • Jul 3, 2025, 10:31:25 AM Now is the time to get serious about ageism in the workplace 1 min read](https://ageinc.au/blog/time-to-get-serious) ### Comments ### Want to know more? Ageism is stereotyping, discriminating and mistreating people based solely upon age. Sign up for regular advice and guidance on how your organisation can help reduce age discrimination in your workplace.   ###### Categories - [Age Discrimination](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/age-discrimination) - [Workplace ageism](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/workplace-ageism) - [Age Inclusivity](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/age-inclusivity) - [Combatting stereotypes](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/combatting-stereotypes) - [Employment](https://ageinc.au/blog/tag/employment) ###### Recent Posts - [RIP retirement: We're facing the death of retirement as an economic norm](https://ageinc.au/blog/the-death-of-retirement-as-an-economic-norm) - [It’s time to rethink the assumptions about AI and older workers](https://ageinc.au/blog/rethink-the-assumptions-about-ai-and-older-workers) - [Announcing the APSCo Age Inclusive Recruiter program](https://ageinc.au/blog/apsco-age-inclusive-recruiter-program) - [From the typing pool to Gen AI](https://ageinc.au/blog/from-the-typing-pool-to-gen-ai) - [A quarter of HR managers think that 50 is too old!](https://ageinc.au/blog/a-quarter-of-hr-managers-think-that-50-is-too-old) ![AgeInc\_Burgandy\_deep](https://ageinc.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png?width=150&height=74&name=AgeInc_Burgandy_deep.png) - [Age endorsement](https://ageinc.au/get-endorsed) - [Insights](https://ageinc.au/blog) - [Events](https://ageinc.au/events) - [About](https://ageinc.au/about) - [Contact](https://ageinc.au/contact) AgeInc acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work and pay our respect to Elders past and present. ©2026 AgeInc, Inc. 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