Ageism in German universities
Challenges faced by older students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21537239 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frederike Gerdes (0000-0002-8436-1721, German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, corresponding author), Laura Naegele (0000-0001-9223-1671, TU Dortmund University), Jessica Ordemann (0000-0002-7645-3052, German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies), Moritz Hess (0000-0003-4095-6448, Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1353-1360 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Gerontology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0360-1277 • E-ISSN: 1521-0472 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03601277.2025.2522392 |
| OpenAlex | W4411581861 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
Ageism in universities – meaning unequal treatment of students based on their (older) chronological age – is seldom discussed in the context of higher education. This is primarily due to the inherent chrononormative understanding that higher education systems mainly prepare young people for the labor market. However, due to demographic trends, shifting social norms and promoting lifelong learning educational trajectories are more diverse than ever, resulting in an increasingly age-diverse student demographic. By defying chrononormative expectations of the ‘right age’ for higher education, older students may face discrimination and unequal treatment from peers or university staff. This research note explores six forms of age discrimination, offering a nuanced description of the phenomenon of ageism in higher education while utilizing data from the ‘Students Survey in Germany’ (2021), a dataset that offers insights into a field – higher education – that has so far been little considered in the study of ageism. Our sample contains 4,811 students, 300 of whom are older, which we define as 30 years and older. Using logistic regression models, we find that older students have a stronger feeling of being excluded or disregarded but less often receive unwelcome sexual remarks or comments. Our results highlight the prevalence of ageism at German universities, informing policies to counter age-based biases, make higher education more accessible to students of all ages, and emphasize the need for more focus on ageism in higher education research
German · Higher education · Medical education · Pedagogy · Political science · Sociology · Aging and Gerontology Research · History · Medicine · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Gerontology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |