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National Equality Panel Stakeholder Event Older People Andrew Harrop Head of Policy Age Concern England. National Equality Panel. Dimensions of inequality Age equality Inequality between people of the same age Experiences of inequality over an individual’s life
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National Equality Panel Stakeholder Event • Older People • Andrew Harrop • Head of Policy • Age Concern England National Equality Panel
Dimensions of inequality • Age equality • Inequality between people of the same age • Experiences of inequality over an individual’s life • Fairness between generations National Equality Panel
Age equality 1: definition • Based on ‘Equal Human Dignity’ • Equal citizenship – dignity, choice, independence • Equality of opportunity – eg employment, education • Equality of outcome – where age is irrelevant; where age is a factor… minimise preventable differences • Respect for difference across the lifecourse – sometimes an asymmetric approach; appropriate treatment of different age cohorts / individual needs National Equality Panel
Age equality 2: drivers • Longevity – individual and collective ignorance • Ageing • Biological ageing – eg a higher risk of ill-health • Social ageing – institutions and expectations • Cohort effects – lifetime opportunities determined by generational norms • Ageism • external: restricts opportunities • internal: speeds up ageing National Equality Panel
Age equality 3: some examples • Income • long-term poverty (twice as high) • Health • preventable differences (social determinants) • public health policy (inactivity; grief; isolation; malnutrition) • Public services • Explicit discrimination (social care; mental health) • Hidden inequality (clinical decisions) • Failure to respond to difference (employment/skills) • Dignity (treatment in institutions) National Equality Panel
Age equality 3: evidence • Employment (effects of: poor health; low skills; attitudes; discrimination including forced retirement) • Number wanting work (not ‘unemployed’) • Age pay gaps • Skills • Qualifications • Recent participation • Social exclusion • Incidence rises with age • Nature changes (‘out of sight’) National Equality Panel
Inequalities between older people • Income – similar distribution to rest of population • Assets – wealth inequality peaks in 50/60s • Health – working class in 50s = professional in 70s • Public services – ‘inverse care law’ • Employment and skills – risk of polarisation? • Social exclusion – by 80 more people suffering, so less highly concentrated National Equality Panel
Inequality across the life course • New programme with EHRC: ‘Just Ageing? Fairness, equality and the life course’ • Trigger points and risk factors – caring, retirement, bereavement • ‘I haven’t changed’ • people treat me differently (ageism); • society has changed (technology; complexity) • ‘I have changed’ • effects of ageing (preventable or otherwise) mean excluded by society, services National Equality Panel
Equity between generations • Each generation more affluent than the last – share economic and social progress with whole of society (this is still true!!) • Achieve reasonable lifetime balance of contribution and receipt for each generation • Longer life expectancy – working cohorts supporting longer retirements, but will live even longer themselves National Equality Panel
National Equality Panel Stakeholder Event • Andrew Harrop • Head of Policy • Age Concern England • 020 8765 7547 • andrew.harrop@ace.org.uk National Equality Panel