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Invisibility in later life
A survey by Gransnet reveals the extent to which women feel overlooked and patronised as they get older - seven out of 10 believe women become 'invisible'.
See the full survey results below.
| To what extent, if at all, do you agree that the following people become 'invisible' as they get older? | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| Women in general | |
| Agree | 70 % (23 % strongly agree) |
| Disagree | 16 % |
| Men in general | |
| Agree | 32 % |
| Disagree | 40 % |
| You personally, in your own experience so far | |
| Agree | 57 % |
| Disagree | 26 % |
| At what age, if at all, do you think the following start to become 'invisible'? Please enter a specific age. (If you don't think that people become 'invisible'/don't feel 'invisible' yourself, please feel free to skip any part of this question.) | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| Women in general | 52.7 |
| Men in general | 64.5 |
| You personally, in your own experience so far | 48.3 |
| If you agree that women get invisible as they get older, why do you think this happens? | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| Society is obsessed with youth | 62 % |
| Society is ageist | 54 % |
| Society is sexist | 35 % |
| N/A: I don’t think women start to become ‘invisible’ as they get older | 17 % |
| Other | 11 % |
| Which, if any, of the following scenarios have happened or do happen to you? | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| I no longer get/get less random attention from the opposite sex | 54 % |
| I’ve been passed over when waiting at a bar (in a pub, for example) | 43% |
| People barge past me in queuing situations or crowded spaces | 34 % |
| I’ve been ignored in shops | 31 % |
| I’ve been ignored when entering a restaurant, garage or other service businesses | 25 % |
| I’ve been passed over by staff when in a queue in a shop or service business | 24 % |
| If I'm out with a younger person, people tend to talk to them rather than to me directly | 23 % |
| People let doors slam in my face | 18 % |
| None of these/skipped | 21 % |
| Other | 5 % |
| If you have a partner of around the same age as you, please say which of the following applies to you as a couple (Filter: those who have a partner - 76% of total) | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| Neither of us get passed over and ignored in public very much | 42 % |
| I get passed over and ignored in public much more than my partner | 36 % |
| We both get passed over and ignored in public to about the same degree | 15 % |
| My partner gets passed over and ignored in public much more than I do | 6 % |
| To what extent, if at all, do you agree with the following statements? | |
|---|---|
| Total | |
| I like being ‘invisible’ | |
| Agree | 17 % |
| Disagree | 43 % |
| I miss the attention I attracted when I was younger | |
| Agree | 38 % |
| Disagree | 30 % |
| I get more attention now than I did when I was younger | |
| Agree | 6 % |
| Disagree | 67 % |
| Style and confidence have more to do with how you’re treated than age | |
| Agree | 63 % |
| Disagree | 15 % |
| Older women tend to be more invisible than older men of the same age | |
| Agree | 64 % (29 % strongly agree) |
| Disagree | 15 % |
| I feel more confident as I get older | |
| Agree | 65 % |
| Disagree | 19% |
| Younger people patronise me as I get older | |
| Agree | 37 % |
| Disagree | 35 % |
| I care less about what people think about me as I get older | |
| Agree | 79 % (32 % strongly agree) |
| Disagree | 12 % |
| This sort of ‘invisibility’ is a sexist, ageist phenomenon that mostly affects older women | |
| Agree | 62 % |
| Disagree | 13 % |
Gransnet.com survey of 1072 Gransnet users and Mumsnet users aged 50+ conducted 27 October - 11 November 2016. The data is not weighted.