PAW MarchIssue - Flipbook - Page 48
I
t seems that quiet quitting
is spreading to the over 50s,
with more older workers
choosing to retire earlier as their jobs
no longer feel satisfying and I consider mentioning this to Anne ( not
her real name) when we bump into
each other at the dog park. She will
have been up since 5.30 am, as she
has for 6 days every week to go
work as a cleaner in a large department store. She jokes about still doing this into her 70s, she 68 now,
but the fear in her eyes is real, she
cannot survive on the basic UK state
pension.
My social media feed is full of
older people selling their homes to
buy narrow boats, tiny homes or
beautifully fitted out camper vans,
Paul (again not his real name) is also
considering van life. He’s currently
the sole carer for his father, living
with dementia and frail. When, as
seems inevitable , his father will
have to go into some form of residential care, their only asset, a tiny
ex-council house will have to be sold
to pay for the care, leaving Paul facing homelessness or competing in
the impossible private rented sector
in his mid-60s.
And this is not another person's
life story for me. At 60, I earn a crucial part of my income as a domestic
cleaner. It’s hard manual labour, insecure and poorly paid. As I read
about older people choosing to remain in the workplace as their work
gives them joy, I have to wonder
how many of them are having to
push older bodies beyond what is
bearable.
The age positivity movement,
something I am proud to be part of,
has focussed on representation, on
visibility, on the presence of older
people in fashion, the media, and the
workplace. All of these are important
and valid, but we also need to talk
about the stark inequalities faced by
the poorest older people. The ageing
experience is not a level playing field
and for many older people, ageing
doesn’t bring new experiences or
time to discover who you are.
I don’t think that Anne or Paul
are very concerned about the number
of older models walking at London
Fashion Week or campaigns to challenge ageist language in beauty products, they have more immediate
concerns. The age positivity movement is developing a platform and a
voice, a space at the table and we are
being listened to, but we need to use
these voices to also talk about the
less photogenic, the less glamorous
experiences of ageing, to shine a
light on the hard realities that many
older people are living with day to
day.
TA P TO C O N N E C T
48 THE PRO-AGE WOMAN March Issue
