"she's pushing 60 (or 50, or 70 or whatever)" ageist or not?

[ElizabethPurley]

At work a few weeks ago a manager, when talking about a colleague, said "she's in ill health and pushing 60..."

Would you consider this ageist or not? Interested to hear views.

Not really. I’d say they mean they think they’re probably 60 something, maybe quite a bit more, but are saying pushing 60 in case they’re actually 55 or younger and don’t want to call them older than they are?

If the manager was talking about a colleague behind their back to other colleagues then it sounds really inappropriate whatever the language used.
Why were they talking to you about this person's health and age in the first place?

It’s just a turn of phrase meaning they’re probably almost or around 60. If in poor health maybe they’re thinking the colleague won’t be long for retirement?

I don’t think it is out and out ageist but instinctively it doesn’t feel like a positive thing to say about someone. Context matters but it feels like they are saying someone is over the hill.

I just realised i qualify for 'pushing 60'. Now I feel old 😅

Was thinking the same..I am officially old!

It’s a neutral expression meaning the same as ‘approaching 60’.

I think it’s an expression whereby the words used sound neutral but the context in which people use it mostly isn’t, and more often than not it is used in a way that could be deemed to be ageist.

It just means "nearly 60". As someone in my late 50's myself I think you're being a bit oversensitive. It's just a fact.

Is it not just descriptive?

I wouldn’t mind being described as pushing 60, but I do think there’s a negative vibe about the word.

I read it as 'might be considering retirement soon' too, rather than 'over the hill'.

Same.

Pushing any age just means very close to it.

No, 'pushing 60' just means 'nearly 60' so it's not as a phrase ageist. It obviously depends on the rest of the sentence as to whether the overall meaning is ageist!

Blimey, some people do travel around the world and back to try and find offence in something!

Of course it's not ageist/offensive!

Ha Ha. I was going to say the exact same thing.

OP, it is a description. A fact. Not ageist in the slightest.

Me too😂 Just jumped a high fence to rescue my friend’s dog and was doing a red ski run last week so am proud to be pushing 60!

It’s only ageist if you’re touchy about your age. It means ‘getting to’. You could say someone’s pushing 30, nobody would bat an eyelid.

I’m in my late fifties, so pushing 60. It’s not offensive to acknowledge this.

I think it probably is somewhat ageist as no one says “pushing 30” to mean someone in their late twenties. It’s only used to describe older people.

No, it’s a simple comment that someone is reaching a particular age. A fact!

Why are you trying to find the negative in it?

Not true.

One of my dc and most of his friends all turn 30 this year.
It is a phrase I've heard a LOT over the last 18 months or so.

Was asked my age recently at a job interview. I am 59, didn’t get the job and wonder was it because of my age.

I used this about myself a few years ago when asked for ID "Are you serious-I'm pushing 40" (not a humblebrag-it was genuinely annoying at the till and I have never had botox etc and definitely didn't look 17).
I don't find it sexist, as I would use it about a man.
Ageist? I suppose by definition you are mentioning age, and if it's discriminatory, say "Margaret can't get the IT manager job because she's pushing 60"-which obviously doesn't necessarily mean she can't be a great IT manager, we shouldn't be saying it. But I don't see pushing as being worse than nearly.

I agree. It's just a turn of phrase.