Push to Stop Using the Term 'Senior' for Someone Over 50

A movement is growing to eliminate the association of the word "senior" with those older than 50 on the grounds that it is dehumanizing, reports azfamily.com . According to some proponents, the frequent use of the term "senior" creates an unconscious bias in the workplace and other environments. "When you have a term like senior citizen, what people are doing is trying to make a short cut to understand that person by putting them in a category," says Arizona Employers Council President Jennifer Ward. "There is no way for us to turn that off. It's going to exist because that is the way our brains work." AARP's Alex Juarez remarks, "In reality, aging gives us experience. At AARP, we don't think we should be defined by age. For a couple of years, we have been using the term '50-plus.'"