On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) (resolution 45/106). This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly.
Each year, Greater Manchester joins communities around the world in celebrating the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) on 1 October.
Covid has exacerbated existing inequalities, with the past three years intensifying the socioeconomic, environmental, health and climate related impacts on the lives of older people, especially older women who constitute the majority of older persons.
While older women continue to meaningfully contribute to their political, civil, economic, social and cultural lives, their contributions and experiences remain largely invisible and disregarded, limited by gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout the life course. The intersection between discrimination based on age and gender compounds new and existing inequalities, including negative stereotypes that combine ageism and sexism.
The 2022 theme of IDOP serves as a hallmark and reminder of the significant role older women play in traversing global challenges and contributing to their solutions with resilience and fortitude.
In Greater Manchester, there is a social media campaign to celebrate older women’s resilience and contributions in our communities, as well as continue to challenge ageism, portraying positive realistic images of older people. The campaign is being coordinated by the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in partnership with local councils, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Housing Providers, partner universities, older people's groups and the voluntary and community sector. The Greater Manchester Older People’s Network has played a significant role in planning and supporting the campaign (GMOPN): www.gmopn.org.uk
The campaign and events will be promoted through social media channels including: @greatermcr and @GMAgeingHub Please use the hashtags #IDOP2022 and #SheWillBeHeard
Main campaign messages
- Women over 65s are the fastest growing female age demographic in Greater Manchester. Let’s challenge the invisibility older women often experience and celebrate the diversity of women in later life.
- Let’s celebrate the huge economic and social contribution older women make to Greater Manchester, recognising older women as valuable not vulnerable.
- Older women’s voice needs to be heard so that Greater Manchester is a great place for all women and girls to grow older.
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Jan Kitching, interim Chair of the Greater Manchester Older People’s Equality Panel said: “Let’s celebrate the vital contribution older women make to our city-region. We’re often the backbone of our communities, it’s time for us to get the recognition we deserve!” |
Find out more about the panel: www.gmopn.org.uk/gmopep #SheWillBeHeard
Let Greater Manchester’s older women show you how active ageing look like.
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Above: Rosemary Mallace with a 10k run medal, photo credits to Rosemary Mallace |
Above: Vera swimming, photo credits to Emma Curtin |
The Old Frame New Picture Gallery by @GMOPN1 celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of older people across the city-region. More stories: https://www.gmopn.org.uk/old-frame-new-picture-gallery
Did you know?
- By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years
- Over the next three decades, the number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion persons in 2050 and 80% of them will be living in low- and middle-income countries
- Prevalence figures based on a survey of 83,034 people in 57 countries found one in every two people held moderately or highly ageist attitudes (i.e. stereotypes and prejudice)