Diversity Style Guide:

Age and Generational Influences

• Age is defined as a stage of life or the amount of time one has been in existence (2022 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated). 
• When writing about age, exact ages or age ranges (e.g., 15-18 years old, 65-80 years old) are more specific than broad categories (e.g., under 18 years old, over 65 years old). Also include the age mean and median in addition to the range of ages to increase the specificity of the reporting (APA, 2020, p. 133)
• Precision and clarity are key values in bias-free language; note that this is specifically called out in some terms. Specificity includes avoiding the conflation of age with other issues, such as disease or mental decline. 

• Per APA (2020), it is important to “ask people from the group about which you are writing to read and comment on your material or consult self-advocacy groups to determine appropriate terminology” (p. 131). In addition to consulting this resource, writers should also consult with the communities they’re describing. When the two are in conflict, defer to the preference of the community. 

Different terms are commonly used for persons of different ages. Use the terms that members of the group use to self-describe whether terms used are binary gender categories (i.e., boy-girl) or nonbinary categories (APA, 2020, p. 135). 

Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community:  

• for any age, use terms such as “person”, “individual”, “males” or “females” when groups include broad ranges, “men”, “women” 
• for those who are 12 years of age and under, use terms such as “infant”, “child”, “girl”, “boy”, “transgender girl”, “transgender boy”, or “gender-fluid child” and so forth 
• For those who are 13 to 17 years of age, use terms such as “adolescent”, “young person”, “youth”, “young woman”, “young man”, “female adolescent”, “male adolescent”, “agender adolescent”, and so forth 
• For those who are 18 years of age and older, use terms such as “adult”, “woman”, “man”, “transgender man”, “trans man”, “transgender woman”, “trans woman”, “genderqueer adult”, and so forth 
• Be specific when addressing age as relevant such as “drivers ages 80 and older”

(APA, 2020, p. 135); National Center to Reframe Aging

Related search term(s): N/A 

Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative term(s): for any age avoid the terms “males” and “females” used as nouns  

“Older adults are a subgroup of adults”, and this group can be described with adjectives (APA, 2020, p. 135). Members of a group may use “stigmatizing” terms to self-describe themselves, and “negativistic” attitudes toward aging, but these terms should be avoided in academic writing. Age of individuals can be classified into “decade specific” descriptors such as “octogenarian” (APA, 2020). 

Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Use terms such as “older persons”, “older people”, “older adults”, “older patients”, “older individuals”, “persons 65 years and older”, “centenarian” for people 100 years or older and “the older population”.  

• If “dementia” is being discussed, specify the type and avoid conflating it with age  

Related search term(s): N/A 

Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative term(s): “seniors”, “elderly”, “the aged”, “aging dependents”, “senile”, phrases that include “age wave,” “silver tsunami,” and “graying of the population.”

(APA, 2020, pp. 135-136); National Center to Reframe Aging

Note: Generational Descriptions such as “baby boomer”, “Gen X”, “millennials”, “centennials”, or “Gen Z” should only be used when discussing content specifically “related to the topic of generations” (APA, 2020, P. 136). 

See Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary for specific definitions of each generation.   

 Date of last revision: November 21, 2022