Midlife is a new life stage. Believe it or not, this distinct stage didn’t exist 100 years ago. For most of human history, people moved from childhood, to adulthood, to old age. Then, with the prosperity and better health care following WWI, suddenly a new human was born: the teenager.*** The 1950’s and 60’s celebrated the emergence of this new stage of life. Teens had their own unique clothing, foods, language, music, culture and life issues. Now, we are seeing a similar evolution happen as prosperity, technology and health care continue to improve: the dawn of Midlife.
More Healthy Years To Live
Yes, people have been living through their 50’s and 60’s for generations, but not like this. Even as recent as the 1980’s, when people retired in their 60’s, they could expect a few years of good health if they were lucky with a life expectancy of about 65 years. According to Statistics Canada:
In 1920–1922, one-year-old boys were expected to live until age 64.7 and one-year-old girls until age 65.3.*
Now, when someone retires in their late 50’s or mid-60’s, they face 20 to 30 years of their life ahead of them.*
Midlife Happens Later And Lasts Longer
Back in the 1980’s, most adults didn’t experience midlife as a distinct stage. They went through midlife in their early 40’s and retired in their 60’s. Midlife was in the middle of raising a family and working. These days midlife is becoming a much longer stage of life, that lines with retirement for many.
Midlife is generally acknowledged as one’s early 40s to early 60s; with increases in longevity and health, the range continues to be redefined upwards, with some now arguing that mid-life begins at 45, not the “classic” age 40.**
With many people living well into their 90’s, our stages of life have stretched and expanded as Dr. Jean M. Twenge explains in her book Generations. People travel through life stages later than before and they stay in them longer that before.
Decades After Retirement
Therefore, life after retirement, now comprises a third of a person’s life. If you have the privilege of retiring in midlife in the 2020’s, you have significant time to grow and develop afterwards. This is time that hasn’t existed before for humankind!
Figuring Out Modern Midlife
Like adolescence in the 1950’s, it’s uncharted territory. Society is trying to figure out what defines the midlife experience. Midlife comes with its own unique issues:
- health (our bodies need more upkeep)
- maintaining and creating friendships (avoiding loneliness)
- finding purpose (something meaningful to do for the next few decades)
There are all the opportunities and all the uncertainties of a new frontier. That’s an exciting adventure! As a recent retiree described it to me, “It’s like being a teenager again. A respectful one.”
What are some characteristics that you find are unique to a modern midlifer? Comment below.
*https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2016002-eng.htm
**https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/mid-life
***https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/02/brief-history-teenagers/
Retired, And Now What? 
It’s interesting to see this post as I’m in the middle of reading Twenge’s “Generations” and just gave a presentation on age-friendly workplaces at a conference this week. The whole slow life concept is fascinating. It was driven home to me during my recent visit to Ireland when my mum told me she left home at 15 and moved to Dublin to work. As the mom of two young adults in their early 20’s, I just can’t imagine that.
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It’s completely unbelievable to consider leaving home at 15 these days. But it’s also unbelievable to consider someone in their 60’s as elderly. The slow life concept has many implications in how we consider age. A fascinating book.
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