A “new ageism” has taken hold in the UK, with older people blamed for everything from the problems facing the young to climate change. So claims Paul McGarry, Head of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Ageing Hub. In an opinion piece on the Centre for Ageing Better’s website, he says old age is now too often equated with wealth, despite evidence that there is more inequality within generations than between them. One result is that “while high profile attempts are being made to resolve the youth employment crisis, there has been no reciprocal push to tackle the 50+ employment crisis despite similar numbers of people impacted”. This has undermined growth as the potential opportunities offered by the silver economy are overlooked. Another feature has been lack of planning for an ageing population, which will affect the young in profound ways, as today’s struggling parents become tomorrow’s impoverished pensioners”.
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