How old is "middle age", these days?

[Asterion]

Was just realising that millennials can now be middle aged (ie 40), but then realised that maybe the ages have changed for being middle aged.

What do you consider to be "middle aged" these days?

I'm in my early 50s and don't consider myself middle aged. But realistically I am probably past middle age!

It's just a label. I hate labels.

40

I asked DH about this as he's an actuary. From an actuarial point of view, middle age is when we start getting the "old age" illnesses that start to kill people. That's late 30s.

Middle-aged never meant in the middle of your life span though. There were people who were old-aged and people who were young-aged, and then there was the age in the middle of those.

I’d go with 40s and 50s

35-55

average age is 80 so 40 is middle of that

Middle age is anyone older than me. I'm not middle age!
I'm 56 but can still do cartwheels and handstands. I cycle 10 miles to the lido so I can swim outside. Even in winter 😃
On the other hand, my first shopping trip after lockdown was to buy comfy knickers. So maybe I'm approaching it!

I had my kids in my 40s so did not feel middle aged then. I think middle age is around 50-60. Though if the next stage is elderly I dont think that is until 70+ so maybe there's 'late middle age'. Of course it's not your chronological middle as that would be about 42.

Millennials are not yet 40. The oldest millennials are early to mid 30s.

I suppose I’m middle aged now I’m early 40s but I don’t feel it.

There’s somehow a sort of thinking that middle aged = frumpy, which these days really isn’t true.

@notheragain4

Millennials are not yet 40. The oldest millennials are early to mid 30s.

The oldest millennials are 39, born in 1981

Thankyou for the millennial definitions. I still don't get how the label was arrived at but never mind. I'm not one, anyway.

I consider myself middle aged. I'm 47.

@notheragain4

Millennials are not yet 40. The oldest millennials are early to mid 30s.

Depends on your definition. Some people consider the first millennials to be those that came of age in 2000. So they'd be about 40 now.

I get it's subjective, but my understanding is a millennial is someone who came of age after the financial crash of 2008 which makes sense to me because that was the generation that started to pay much higher tuition fees and then had to graduate in the credit crunch and thereby creating huge differences in experiences compared to those slightly older than them.

I've had to do quite a bit of training on how to manage millennials and we use mid to late 80s as a rough base line as the crash (and teenage experience) is what many of the academics recognise as causing the different behavioural traits that make them (us!) different to manage.

But I get it's subjective, I wouldn't call someone over 35 a millennial though.

("The" academics meaning the ones writing the materials we are working from, I don't mean all academics collectively!)

45-65 I would say on average but it varies from person to person with circumstances really, my 70 year old father is definitely not old, others are

I have a theory that middle-age is what you see your parents as. So it's harder accepting that you're middle-aged yourself if you still have your parents, but your children know damn well you are!

I'm 57 and just starting to consider it now.

I have a 12yo, have always worked full time, no health issues, can run 10k on a good day, practice martial arts. I don't feel any different to how I always have.

It only dawned on me that I'm middle aged when I was made redundant and didn't instantly panic about money, which is quite a grown up reaction I think.

I think 40s onwards. It’s just a term, not a statement that you’re incapable of doing anything or not going to live a fun life!

I agree with @YesItsMeIDontCare that it’s harder to accept when you’ve still got parents. My parents have been quite ill lately and I’ve done a lot of care over the last few years- and I’ve suddenly felt like a grown up!

Its just a number really though isnt it .My dear Nan used to say Getting older is better than the alternative (not getting older presumably deceased!) which always makes me feel a bit better .Hit a "big " birthday recently which always makes one feel a little anxious I find! About 50s /60s I guess.

20 years ago middle age was about 35-55 10 years ago middle age was about 40-60
Now I would say it's about 45-65
It just keeps getting older because retirement gets later, having babies often gets later, marriage is later, old age related illnesses and death are later. Life is longer. But also society has changed. I remember people used to talk about men of 40 retiring young, having hear attacks and midlife crises. Now 40 year olds are out with sports strollers pushing their IVF twins and training for the marathon. 40 is not old anymore. So if 40 is the new 30 then 45 is the start of middle age now. But in the future 50 might be the new 40! The only thing holding back our progression to a much older middle age now I think is that we have not found a way to override the female biological clock. You make it possible for women to start their baby making years at 50 and middle age will be 55 or 60.

middle aged irrelevant - how about mature? Closely followed by silver fox...
(leave it to your imagination - & mine! -how I describe myself! )

I'd put it as menopause until the onset of age-related infirmities, if I had to.
But tbh I don't find generalised age categories very useful.

I still think 35 even though I'm approaching that age myself. I remember being young and thinking how naff thirtysomethings who still thought they were 21 seemed and swore I'd accept middle age with dignity.