AIBU to wonder where the women over 50 are in the workforce?

[Waferbiscuit]

I'm over 50 and I've noticed a very obvious trend of women leaving the workforce at around my age. Throughout my 40s I saw many women my age move to part-time, but they were still visible. Now I go into meetings (I attends lots of cross-org plus city-wide/region-wide meetings) and I never see women my age or older.

Anecdotally the four women my age who I worked alongside have all left their roles to do a bit of consultancy work or stop working altogether.

Is it just my sector or is this trend something other people are seeing in their line of work? Are women at 50 leaving the workforce because of caring responsibilities? Of course not all women have caring responsibilities so are they leaving because their other half (if they have a partner) makes more money? Or is the workforce just breaking people, so by 50 women stand up and say 'I've had enough' ??? Genuinely curious.

I believe you. How dare a woman age beyond 50.
I am never leaving the civil service.

I’m 60 and working on a senior HR role in an international company. I love my job, so my plan is to keep being good at it until someone thinks otherwise and pays me a lot of money to leave.

I work in public service admin - lots of women in their 50s in my team, some full time and some part time . At the moment you wouldn't see us as we are all working from home .

Like me I think many run their own things or work alongside partners or do less stressful part time things if financially able to do so. Work has changed and whilst there is more flexibility there is an awful lot more sales and targets stuff, constant zoom updates, lots more corporate bullshit and I do think many older women if able to get out can’t be arsed with this kind of stuff

Lots going for early retirement or consultancy work in my field.

There are lots in higher education, both academics and professional services.

I'm in my late 50s, still working full time in a senior demanding job which I enjoy and where I still feel I'm valued for what I bring to it. There are other 50 and 60-something women working here who are similarly valued. I think we are very lucky to have supportive employers.

It sounds like there are many aged 50+ still in the NHS but those on the 'frontline' find it understandably hard to keep going past 55?

It's a busy time, I'm 50 and so busy with my children and my parents who are in their 80s and housebound (and live apart so twice the travelling and hospital appointments, shopping, etc) no way would I have time to even do a part time job at the moment.

The government has decided that we have to work to 68.

But what gets me, is there is no recognition if the menopause in this, or the fact that older people perform differently from younger people.

57 and will be working well into my 60s as i have a mortgage to pay

I'm 51 and am autistic with adhd. I hit the menopause then hit a wall mentally and became very depressed. I just can't talk to people anymore and my brain is scrambled. I have a part time, lone working menial job now which I can cope with.

Yes to the scrambled brain. I can’t multi task any more. It overwhelms me.

Early 50s and still going here. All my team are 50+ and 50% of us are women.

A lot of men leave c50 too. I think it depends what your £ plans are and how well they go!

I'm 49, marketing and comms and have really noticed it's now a struggle to get hired. I think there's a perception that I couldn't keep up with new systems etc, which is rubbish because I usually have a better grasp than younger staff I've worked with. 'Let go' twice in the last year. First time, they tweaked the job and hired someone younger, cheaper and easier to manage. Second one was an unfortunate company collapse, so now, I'm in process of setting up on my own.

Also struggling with ridiculous periods, and once a month, can't really leave the house due to flooding, so can't even opt for a more physical job, which would be my preference.

My Dh is 62. He’s desperate to go. I just think your brain finds it harder to cope with overload as you get older.

A friend of mine asked me would I think I about giving up my job and working for my husband at some point. Not sure what she expects I might do for him or how he would pay me. It really threw me, as in that's her expectation once we reach mid-40s.

I'm 54, work full time in an office and am really struggling. Can't afford to retire or go part time because I only have my income (and it's not huge).

Well, it depends what sector you work in surely. I'm young but work in the care sector and see many women 50 plus still working. Privileged people may be unable to comprehend this. As a pp put it...don't work, don't eat.

Im 52 and looking to leave my job next year and go self employed. Downsizing and moving in with partner once last child goes to Uni. No pension to speak of but just want a different life. The 9-5 office drudge is so tiring.

It's a busy time, I'm 50 and so busy with my children and my parents who are in their 80s and housebound (and live apart so twice the travelling and hospital appointments, shopping, etc) no way would I have time to even do a part time job at the moment. That isn't exclusive to your age group though. At 25 I was a single parent to my son, worked full time and when i finished work I was helping my grandparents have a bath and get into bed. I also got them up, washed and dressed and fed in the mornings etc. I couldn't opt out as I had no partner to be dependent on and I needed to provide housing/food etc for my son.

I’m 40: sadly I don’t see that many older women in senior roles in the company I work for. The only very senior women that I have known at work have been child free: whereas most of the senior men have kids.

I can't speak about other schools, but there's only about half a dozen women over 50 in mine and none are in senior roles. It would be easier to keep going in a more senior (ie less classroom based) role. Most working part time so taken even less seriously. I don't know where they've gone - there are no early retirement deals any more.

I work in a university. Lots of women 50+ here, in fact I’d think the majority of senior people in my department are 50+ women.

My DM is now late 60s. I do remember quite a few of her friends did quit or retire in their 50s, around when their children moved out. I suppose it was slightly easier then to live on one salary, but that doesn’t explain why it was always the woman who left. I guess menopause, misogyny in the workplace and sexism/gender roles at home could all be factors.