With many leaders showing their age recently, a previously somewhat obscure word, “gerontocracy,” meaning “a government ruled by the elderly,” is popping up everywhere. President Biden , frontrunner among 2024 Democratic presidential candidates, celebrated his 80th birthday in November, becoming the first octogenarian to occupy the Oval Office. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is 90 and has missed significant time at work due to shingles complications. Recently, 81-year-old Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) froze for an uncomfortable 20 seconds during a news conference.
The notion that America's elected officials are too old isn't new. A proposal for age limits for congresspeople has widespread bipartisan support. Let's explore what the term “gerentocracy” means and how it applies to the United States.
What is a gerontocracy?
A political system run by seasoned senior citizens is, fittingly, an old concept. Raul Magni-Berton, an academic and professor of political science at the Catholic University of Lille in France, who studies democratic systems and their best practices, tells Teen Vogue that gerontocracies come in three forms:
The first, gerontocracy by law, was more common in ancient societies. Initially, the Roman senate was filled only with retired army veterans who were at least 60 years of ago, but this still exists in some capacity today. In Italy, for instance, to become president, a citizen has to be at least 50 years old. Restrictions like these are now less common, as knowledge required to lead is easier to disseminate today than it was thousands of years ago.
The second type of gerontocracy isn't enshrined in legislation but comes about through a "rule between gentlemen," as Magni-Berton puts it. In countries like Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, or some led by military juntas, the eldest leader is often chosen for strategic reasons. Since older leaders are more likely to retire or die, this increases leadership turnover in systems without formalized methods to replace rulers.
The third form is the result of a convergence of factors. Their creation is not due to formal or informal rules, but they do occur, and fairly often in democracies. Says Magni-Berton, "It is very common. In all countries, the median [member of parliament, or MP,] is older than the median voter." (He does point to some exceptions like Denmark, where the average MP is 45.) Though not created by formal rule, factors such as voter preference for more experienced candidates and older people having more time to accumulate power can contribute to the formation of this third type of gerontocracy.
Is the United States a gerontocracy?
The United States is not a by-law or by-rule gerontocracy. The minimum ages to serve as president, US senator, or member of the House of Representative are, respectively, 35, 30, and 25. Some young people serve in the House, including Gen Z Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), there are several senators under 50, and two under 40, J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Two of our recent presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, were the third- and fifth-youngest at their respective inaugurations.
Despite these notable exceptions, though, most of our political leadership skews far older. The 118th Congress commenced with an average age of 57.9 for members of the House of Representatives and 64 for senators. In January, there were 15 members age 80 and older and 91 between ages 70-79, according to Pew Research. A caucus of Boomer congresspeople would be more than twice the size of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has 104 members, and they aren't even the oldest cohort in Congress, as there are still 29 members of the silent generation, born between roughly 1925 and 1945, serving.
Kevin Munger, a professor of political science at Penn State and author of Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture, tells Teen Vogue, "We do see a pretty stark difference between the overrepresentation for older generations and underrepresentation for younger generations." He points out that the rather arbitrary generational lines we refer to have been influenced by "advertisers who are trying to segment the marketplace and target the right groups," but they are references used and experienced by many people all over the world.
Our presidential candidates skew gray as well. The 2024 election is shaping up to be a rematch between an already 80-year-old Biden and a currently 77-year-old Donald Trump, our oldest-ever president and second oldest-ever president at the start of their presidencies. (Trump is the oldest in the field of 2024 Republican presidential candidates). Even in our recent primaries, the contenders have been past retirement age. Of the top-four recipients of delegates during the 2020 Democratic primaries, Biden was the second youngest. The spring chicken of the bunch? Elizabeth Warren, who was in her 70s.
What are the downsides of having such old lawmakers?
There are downsides to having a country run by its eldest citizens. The most obvious are the flash points where politicians' physical and cognitive abilities decline drastically. The Feinstein and McConnell incidents are recent examples.
During the cold war, the Soviet Union was labeled a gerontocracy. The high mortality rate among Soviet politicians prompted a quip from President Ronald Reagan, then a septuagenarian: "How am I supposed to get anyplace with the Russians if they keep dying on me?"
Barring the most extreme cases, though, government business can usually proceed as planned with older lawmakers in power. "Congresspeople have staff at this point that inform them. There's not a huge effect of age, per se," Munger says. "Most old congresspeople are still competent."
Missed votes did hamstring business earlier this year, but age isn’t the only reason for absences. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), 53, missed votes while taking time off to battle depression, and 89-year-old Senator Chuck Grassley maintained a 27-year, 8,927-vote iron man streak until quarantining after Covid-19 exposure in 2020.
Gerontocracies can, however, really cause problems with what bills get passed. "It has more to do with what issues get on the agenda," says Munger. In a gerontocracy, issues like social security reform are more likely to be seen as top priorities. Urgent issues that will impact people in the coming decades, such as climate change, get pushed aside.
A uniquely American gerontocracy issue is its influence on the future political class. In other Western democracies, green parties have played significant roles in government and have acted as training grounds for young politicians. But here, young political actors are forced to work within the two parties of their entrenched gerontocracy.
"The two-party system in the US is the result of our specific electoral institutions, and that prevents the formation of these youth parties," Munger explains. The networks of young activists who can influence lawmakers, as in other parts of the world, seem not to be able to form as easily here. The result, says Munger, is that "even the young people that do manage to get elected tend to be more like old people." Without a youth party, young, politically active people are forced to get experience in environments like a Dianne Feinstein-campaign war room.
How can we empower young people in politics?
Some countries have tried implementing youth quotas in government to prevent gerontocracies, such as mandated youth seats, youth candidate quotas, or individual party quotas, but those are unlikely to pass in the US.
Meanwhile, organizations like Justice Democrats and Run for Something are trying to recruit and train more young people of color to run for elected office. The Millennial Action Project works to support young candidates from both parties who win their elections.
Eventually, though, our current slate of elderly leaders will no longer occupy their seats. We need to be careful with how we view and treat elderly politicians, because one day, we will all be as old as they are.
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