Is the United States a Gerontocracy?

At 81, Joe Biden is the first octogenarian to occupy the Oval Office. After a poor debate performance and pressure to bow out from Democrats, Biden will not seek reelection. At 78, Trump is the oldest nominee for the US Presidency in history. Trump would be the oldest US president to start a new term if elected in November. Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, would be 60 on Inauguration Day. The Presidency is one of the few jobs in the world where 60 is considered youthful.

Extreme age is not limited to the executive branch. Mitch McConnell is 82. Nancy Pelosi is 84. Chuck Grassley is 90. At least 20 members of Congress are over 80. The average ages in the US House and Senate are 58 and 64, respectively. Only 6% of Congress is under 40. Meanwhile, the median age in the US is 39. In terms of age, Congress does not represent the electorate.

Is the United States a gerontocracy? A gerontocracy is a society governed by old people. In many political structures, the oldest individuals hold the most power because wealth, experience, and social capital accumulate with age. Whether upheld by formal laws or informal conventions, a gerontocracy is a form of rule in which leaders are significantly older than most of the population. There is much evidence that our government is run by and serves the interests of older Americans.

There are no maximum age limits for elected office, but there are minimum ages to serve. One must be 25 to serve in the House, 30 to serve in the Senate, and 35 to serve as President. The Constitution prohibits youth from holding federal office.

Our election system benefits retirees and disenfranchises working adults. Election Day is not a federal holiday. Work prohibits many eligible voters from participating in democracy. Employment is no longer a barrier to voting for retirees. It’s not surprising that Americans 65 and older vote at a higher rate than any other age group.

One in 5 American citizens are ineligible to vote in elections due to age-based discrimination. Youth are excluded categorically from formal participation in our nation’s political process, much like felons and noncitizens. At the other end of the age spectrum, there is no age limit on voting. Thus, politicians cater to the legislative priorities of seniors and disregard the interests of the youth who are ineligible to vote.

Are our tax dollars spent on the young or the old? The federal budget prioritizes the needs of seniors over youth. In fiscal year 2023, 21% of the federal budget was spent on Social Security and 14% was spent on Medicare. 35% of the entire federal budget was spent on retirees. By comparison, only 3% of the federal budget was spent on education. Altogether, less than 10% of the 2023 federal budget was spent on children.

Young and old people face age-based discrimination at work and in other social institutions. However, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination on the basis of age. Workers under 40 are not protected from age discrimination through federal law, although state and local laws protect some younger workers.

This is not to say that seniors in the US do not face hardships. Older people confront ageism at work. Seniors often experience social isolation and invisibility in retirement. Elder abuse and neglect are underreported and seldom prosecuted. Culturally, it has fallen out of favor to respect one’s elders. Older Americans face many challenges.

The age of our political leaders, laws restricting who can serve in government, political disenfranchisement of working-age adults and youth, disproportionate federal spending to support seniors, and legal protections for older workers are all evidence that we live in a gerontocracy. As always, my goal is to encourage critical thinking and offer a fresh perspective. Evaluate the evidence and draw your own conclusions.

Roscoe Scarborough, Ph.D. is chair of the Department of Social Sciences and associate professor of sociology at College of Coastal Georgia. He is an associate scholar at the Reg Murphy Center for Economic and Policy Studies. He can be reached by email at rscarborough@ccga.edu.