inmyprime

Back in 1992 an academic article* was published examining differences in the rates of career progression between male and female managers. It took the approach of examining the importance for female managers of “doing all the right stuff” in terms of the behaviours that their male counterparts demonstrated that got them promoted (e.g. getting a similar education as the men, maintaining similar family responsibilities, working in similar industries, not moving in and out of the work force, not removing their names from consideration for transfers).

While, unfortunately, the article demonstrated that doing all these things was still not enough to overcome the significant disparities in men’s and women’s salary progression and geographic mobility it was a fascinating approach and one which might usefully be applied to improving the position of older workers in today’s employment arenas.

One scenario which is sadly overlooked in the debate about when to retire is that of the increasing band of older people who retire by default. These are the individuals for whom working life ends not with a retirement party, gold watch, or any other type of excited celebration but rather the slow realisation and acceptance that their state of continuing unemployment has slid into inevitable, irrevocable and unwelcome retirement.

For those who have worked hard all their lives, built a career, and paid their dues this seems a shameful way to be rewarded. Whether it occurs as a result of redundancy, illness or simply a failed attempt to change careers, start a business or undertake some other type of reinvention, it is nevertheless becoming an increasingly prevalent problem as older people want to work longer and find that the opportunities are few and the barriers are many.

“Eagles may soar but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines”

The trickle is turning into a flood. Almost daily now we are seeing more and more issues pile up which, on the whole, are not being tackled head-on or are being addressed with a “sticking plaster” approach. We are talking here about education costs, housing, employment, pensions, health costs, care costs and increasing life expectancy – and there are probably others too.   

We are fast approaching the time when we must acknowledge the need for a complete paradigm shift. A new conceptual framework is required to cope with the new realities together with a dismantling of old structures, old ideas and old platforms underpinning our life course aspirations and actions.  

Ever wondered why so much advertising is aimed at the young? And that what advertising there is which might be construed as directed towards a wider or an older market contains outdated, outmoded and very patronising stereotypes of older consumers and older people in general?

Last week saw the formal release of an excellent new research report “The Golden Economy – The Consumer Marketplace in an Ageing Society”. David Sinclair of ILC-UK undertook the research and the report was published by Age UK.

I went to the previous week’s ILC-UK seminar where David presented the headline findings but it was not until I had read the report in full that I saw just how much thought provoking material there is in there. Almost every section contains issues that could be dissected and debated on for some considerable time. In future blogs I hope to comment upon some of these.

As is made clear in the report there is much to be done to educate and raise awareness in the world at large, particularly the commercial world, about the needs, wants and preferences of the older sections of our society.

This blog just takes one particular aspect of the topic and flags a couple of quite serious implications.