[[alternative]]A Study of Ageism in Taiwan

[[abstract]] 以目前平均壽命不斷提升的情況下，退休之後仍然會有一段時期具有生產性的價值。但是目前台灣社會並不重視這群老人的價值，卻仍用著過去對於老年人的眼光，認為他們是毫無價值的一群接受「社會福利」的消耗人口，也多是以養老的角度或是以負面的刻板印象來看待這群老人，導致社會中的老人都等待養老，或是沒有重回貢獻生產力的支援動機。 在這樣的背景之下，本研究以嘉義縣水上鄉民生社區為研究場域，採取質性為主，訪問11位老年人敘述其生活各個經驗，並且進一步將老人區分為三個年齡群（年輕老人、中年老人以及老老人），進而瞭解不同年齡的老人對於年齡歧視的主觀感受，以及他們如何在生理、心理、社會、經濟層面上來觀看自己。 研究發現，老人其自我印象的陳述，主要來自於「生理」層面。老老人在行動上不像年輕老人只是停留在感受性的層面，而是行動上的具體受限，其生活上也因此造成些微的不便，而我們所認為的老年健康問題，比較會發生在老老人身上；在歧視經驗方面，老人敘述的經驗中，大多脫離不了「態度」問題，以及社區的環境空間規劃和社團活動的設計，一般人「忽略」老人身體上的限制，「忽略」老人的真實需求，但是老人遭受歧視的原因與居住型態、休閒工作兩者是沒有任何關聯性，而歧視的內容只是因為老人這個「社會角色」而進行歧視行為。老年人的反應常常是以「算了」、「不了了之」和「息事寧人」的行事態度來面對，也不與年輕人計較。 具體來說，三群老人或多或少在生活中自己曾經有「因為老人這個社會角色」而被歧視的經驗。但仔細深入探討發現，年輕老人相對於中間年老人和老老人的歧視經驗較少，而且中年老人和老老人面臨的歧視問題以「活動設施的不恰當」和「嫌棄經驗」居多，這與他們「生理」機能逐漸衰退有關聯。[[abstract]] Nowadays, the average of lives becomes much longer than the past. Human-beings still don’t loss their own value of production after retirement. But the elders are not so respected than before. People used to point out the image of elder as useless in Taiwan. People also used to think negatively of elders, even more regards the elders just as the ones, who are waiting for dying. These facts let the elders always stay in the social role, which has to take care for by younger generation, or not any more continue contribution to the society. Based on these social facts, this study aims to focus on the ageism of Min Sheng community, Shuei Shang Township, in Chai-yi County. Eleven interviews with elders are conducted, in order to investigate their own life experiences. In addition, three different groups of elders are separated: young-old, old-old, oldest-old, in order to analyze how the ageism constructs people’s life and how they think of it, specifically in dimensions of physiological, psychological, social and economic. The results have found as fellows: the self-image of elders is normally constructed by physiological problems. The oldest-old has to face serious physical challenges. The health problems more happen to the oldest-old. They concretely impact on the quality of life of the oldest-old. In the experiences of discrimination, the elders care about the design ideas of environment spaces, activities of clubs. Normally young people ignore the physiological troubles of the elders and their concrete needs. They also don’t concern with habitation, leisured, work of the elders etc. Basically, the ageism of Min Sheng community is related with the social role of the elders. The elders in community always regard it as not a big deal, forgivable or never mind, in order to dismiss from social conflict. Finally, 3 age groups have their own different experiences with ageism. This investigation finds that young-old people do not experience so much ageism as the old-old and the oldest-old