Age-Based Power Hierarchy – What Is It?
To strengthen the participation of children and young people, it is not always enough to ask what they think. We adults also need to reflect on our own role and the power we hold. In sports, it is usually adults who set the framework, lead activities, and make decisions – often without us even realizing it. Knowledge about age-based power hierarchy can help us discover such patterns and consider how we can act differently to give children and young people greater opportunity to express themselves and influence.
In many contexts, adult perspectives are taken for granted as the most reasonable and important. This is sometimes referred to as adultism norms. It means that society often assumes that adults know best and therefore have the most influence over decisions. When adulthood becomes the norm, children’s perspectives can be marginalized. Children are often regarded as individuals who are still developing and therefore require guidance from adults. This can lead to their opinions not being taken as seriously, even in matters affecting their daily lives. Research shows that this can create an age-based power hierarchy, where adults have more power and influence than children. At the same time, children are rights holders with their own experiences, knowledge, and perspectives. When children are given the opportunity to express their opinions and influence matters that concern them, new perspectives can emerge and contribute to better decisions.
Making adultism norms visible is therefore about questioning why some voices are given more space than others. For us adults, it can mean not only asking how children and young people can take up more space – but also what we ourselves can do to make more space.
