Are you mid-50s? Do you still work full time?

[elsaandanna]

I'm the only woman I know of my age who works full time.

Admittedly I have a small circle of people I know and none of them have glamorous or high flying careers.

I'm a childminder so I'm busy long days, 5 days a week. Can't drop a day as I'd lose income. The parents that need childcare 5 days a week because they work full time are much younger than me.

I’m 45 and 6 months ago went back up to FT. Mortgage still has 15 years & I want to get my pension sorted. Child care bills & pt hours have taken a hit on my pension! One at uni & one 14 yr old - so a few years before the kids are financially independent as well!

I would love to drop back to 4 days at some point - maybe late 50’s :(

I assume I’ll be working full time until I’m in my 60s. Only 41 right now. Can’t imagine keeping up with technology though - it worries me. Maybe I’ll be in a more strategic position and there will be less pressure to keep up as I’ll have a team that does that.

I’m a single parent & have worked PT for the last few years since I was 45 BUT I hammered work when I was younger (didn’t go to uni so not high pay jobs but hammered OT in the days where it was double time at weekends etc) so bought my flat young & moved up the ladder to now where I’m mortgage free. I can’t claim any help as I have some savings.

When my DD is older I will be happy to work more hours but not at the minute.

53 ft teacher, working also side many others in their 50s. I don’t intend continuing to teach beyond 55 but will find another job, would prefer not ft though.

I am 51 and work full time. I have two tweens. I always worked fulltime even when dcs were small.

I am considering dropping a day over the next few years. However, I am a late joiner to the civil service, joined at 35. I get 40% tax relief on buying back pension years if I earn over 42k euros. If I dropped a day , my pension contributions would be higher as I would earn under 42k. I work up a day a month and use this for myself.

I know what you are saying about very little people in your circle working. A lot of my peers, even people in their 40s work 3 to 4 days. Even the few professional women I know doctors, pharmacists have all cut back. Dh is good but I struggle with energy levels, to run a home and do things with dcs. I do very little personal socialising. Sometimes I feel life is passing me by a little bit as other peers are active in the community, join choirs, go for meals out and keep a tidy home.

I do some household tasks less often eg wash windows, and I try to take time for myself each evening. I try and declutter regularly, buy less so as less headspace wasted finding homes for things..

Maybe try and have a plan to cut back over the next few years. Even having a plan will help with the current situation.

Yes, I work full time, and I also am living with cancer. I’m nearly 58. I will be working until retirement age. I work in the media.

I'm 53, NHS worker working full time with no prospect of dropping any hours anytime soon. There are absolutely loads of women my age and older working full time in the NHS.

Another teacher, 24 years in and will keep going full time for at least another 10 years. I want to see my own children through the system and the career average portion of my salary looks back over 10 years.

Interesting. I was just wondering this today. I'm 50 and work FT during term time in a school office. It's exhausting me now while going through perimenopause - the pace of it, the amount of changing information I have to remember, multitasking all the time etc etc. Unless I leave the premises I don't get a proper lunch break (but it's kind of frowned on if I leave the premises really), same with leaving on time (it raises eyebrows) . I must do 1.5 hours a day unpaid. Been in unpaid during the holidays etc etc. I'm often ill during school holidays and I'm sure this is because of the stress from the workload. Blood pressure is high (but ok during the holidays). It's quite low paid so I don't feel the workload matches the salary.

So......I was wondering if it was normal for lots of women to go part time in their mid 50s because that's the plan I have in my head. Get the kids through uni (3 and a half years to go). I just can't cope with this pace anymore. I'm not sure my job is doable part time so I may have to leave and try to get something else with part time hours but there doesn't seem much available, only retail, hospitality or care work.

But in my head there's a nagging voice that says I must just be weak to feel like I can't cope with a full time job at this age, because plenty of women on here seem to have "big" jobs and work FT no problems.

I remember looking on the stats on ONS once for women working in their 50s. It was in the high 30% from memory for women working full time.
I am FT as I have to be. Building up pension after years of being PT when the children were younger. I am on my own with a mortgage. I do spend time on the Civil Service pension calculator which has a slider tool which shows pension at different ages of retirement. I would be well off if I stayed until 75 😄.
Current plan is to partially retire at 60. Work 3 days. Civil Service is brilliant for offering that as an option. My job is easy enough though and I can work partially at home so might just drop to 4 days and keep building pension.

I'm 57 and will be working FT until I'm 67. Can't afford not to. I work in local government and was PT when the dc were small. I've been FT since DC2 went to secondary school. I'm noticing I'm not as sharp as I used to be so God knows how I'll still function in 10 years time.

DH will be 62 next year and is going down to 3 days a week. I'm very jealous but we can't afford for me to do the same.

51 and yes I do, most women I know do and will for the next 10-15 years.

Mostly they are in professional jobs and either have to keep going because mortgage / kids still in school / uni fees - or they have always been career minded, or having been on the mum track they are aiming for a last career hurrah.

I do have some friends who are PT but mainly they had kids at the last possible minute so still primary age, or a couple who never really worked because they are rich /CBA.

I have a problem mind you in that my industry is ageist and sexist so I need to figure out a pivot pronto.

I do think this is a bit of an odd question. I don’t know anyone who works part time, apart from those with young children or a couple of people who are doing a course.

In my 60s, University Professor, probably carry on for another 5 years - love my subject and doubt I will stop doing research/going to conferences/fieldtrips even when I retire.

57 here and work f/t plus 3 hours paid o/t each week and usually another 4/5 unpaid in specialist NHS role. I am
absolutely gubbed. I have 2dc one with ASN in college and one still in high school.
EXH on benefits and not much use either at parenting or financial support.
Mortgage until I’m 67 so no option to reduce my hours.
utterly fed up of it all but he haw I can do about it

Yes- 61 but we work for ourselves, so although full time, I can have time off when I need/want it and definitely don't work so full on as I used to

I’m 60 work full time (civil servant). I can’t afford to drop to 3 days. I expect to work til my early 70s if my health holds up. DH is 7 years younger than me, so that makes a difference.

Full time plus overtime at 61.

55 here and have done 37 years full time with minimal maternity leave my DC are through uni and working. it is now my time and whilst I am happy to still work I am tired and want to do other stuff too.

I quite enjoyed lockdown and working from home I had a good routine and my house was tidy and I felt good. But this year we returned to the office and there is a lot of pressure to be in every day which I hate as it just seems a pointless waste of time.

2024 is my year and I’m putting in a request to drop to 60%

Most of my friends have not worked full time since having kids.

I’m 51. I don’t know any men or women my age who aren’t working FT except for a couple in very specific circumstances (carers, significant illness etc).

57, work FT, can't afford not to, poor decision-making when I was younger.

Im 49 and taken on a promotion and its full time (did 30 hours/4 days). I like my job and it suits well. No real pressure from above as they don’t realise were in the office as most are still home. Great pension so i might as well continue until i can. I for-see many years.

52 and working full time. Can't afford not to.

In my 20s and fed up reading these comments! I love my job and I hope some of you do too but you’d hope after 3 or 4 decades of hard work some of you felt able to drop to PT. I wish it were easier, cost of living crisis can’t help. I have over double my life so far to go until I retire! 😬

Early 50s, having a career resurgence after being a SAHP for 8 years and working p/t for 10 years, now f/t and loving it. The money and the job. Been promoted 3 times in the last 3 years.