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.

Early 50s, still working FT
The earliest I can take my private pension is 55
I will also have 35 years National Insurance contributions which are required to receive a full state pension at 55 too. No PT job available in my current job. I may work until 60, but I need to crunch some numbers.

I work with other older females who are also in their 50s

One friend in their early 50s had a career break for a couple of years to look after a frail elderly relative

i'M SINGLE so I'll be working until the state pension kicks in. Not sure I'll be able to work 5 days a week. Hopefully I can cut down to four days a week from 60 on. That does of course mean that my pension will be 80% of what it'd be if I worked five days. But I really don't think that losing 20% of a 3,000 pension would be worth grinding myself into the ground for. I hope i'm still fit and able to work til 66 or 67 or whatever it is in 16 years.

I don't think I dream of giving up work any more than the women of 31 do though! I work with a few women in their 30s and we're all in on the lotto and would all easily fill our days without work.

I know. Everyone at work was my age but suddenly I find myself the Oldest Lady in the Office. It's a really difficult position. But I've got a mortgage to pay. 11 years to go.

@WinterBargains2739

Early 50s, still working FT The earliest I can take my private pension is 55 I will also have 35 years National Insurance contributions which are required to receive a full state pension at 55 too. No PT job available in my current job. I may work until 60, but I need to crunch some numbers.

I work with other older females who are also in their 50s

One friend in their early 50s had a career break for a couple of years to look after a frail elderly relative

Can you really get a full state pension at 55? I thought you couldn’t get a state pension till your state pension age.

@Jammylodger

Don’t see that in my world (IT) - seeing a lot of 50+ women taking on senior roles, leading organisations, mentoring next gen

In IT as well & quite a few over 50 both male & female.

Went back to work after 15 years as a trailing spouse abroad. I started in January this year at 55. I'm a Civil Servant. They do age blind recruitment. I plan on full time til I'm 60, when some of my other pensions kick in, and then part time til 67, unless I'm doing something I really enjoy.

All my 50+ female friends are still working in education, the NHS and local authorities.

Almost all my 60+ friends in the same job areas either have retired or are retiring this year. 60 made the difference.

I do know what you mean. Even accounting for fewer women in leadership / senior roles, there seem to be very few.

Having said that I'd like to retire at 50 and am aiming for that!

Meant to add, several women around the 50s Mark in my office.

will also have 35 years National Insurance contributions which are required to receive a full state pension at 55 too

Wow-why does my state pension not kick in till 68?!

In my profession, 50 is old. Experience is not valued. In a recent reorganisation, everyone over 50 was made redundant. Some people reapplied for their jobs and didn’t get them. None of the over 40s got a promotion.

I have 2 women in my small department who are in their 60s (and have each clocked up more than 40 years service). There are a further 5 women who are in their 50s. The majority of them work FT. We don’t actually have anyone in their 20s in the department (you need quite a bit of experience to do what we do).

This thread has come as a real shock to me (but then I've always worked in universities, which posters have repeatedly noted as a sector that's unusually 'good' on this) - I find that 1 in 3 figure almost unbelievable. Reading this thread really makes me think about all those threads where women with little children are encouraged to give up work 'because they're only small once and you've got so long to work after they're older' - this thread makes that feel like very irresponsible advice.

I took early retirement/voluntary redundancy when I was just 55. The VR money, no mortgage and no reduction in pension made it a no-brainer really. I do realise I was very lucky. Of all my friends around my age bracket, only two are still working and that is purely down to the financial aspects. Both would give up like a shot if they could afford to do so.

Yikes @Coldtoday what kind of sector do you work in? That sounds brutal!

Financial Services and delighted to report lots of senior women are visible, being awesome and getting promoted too!

My state retirement age is current 68
You need 35 qualifying years NI to receive a full state pension
I will have 35 years NI contributions at age 55

I have some personal pensions. The earliest I can access these are 55

@Coldtoday

In my profession, 50 is old. Experience is not valued. In a recent reorganisation, everyone over 50 was made redundant. Some people reapplied for their jobs and didn’t get them. None of the over 40s got a promotion.

Same in mine (Events). I am over 50 and the oldest worker in the organisation by a mile. All the directors are young, good-looking women under 35. I am a self-employed person and do work for lots of events companies. Same everywhere I work now. Certainly no women over 50 any more - the only reason I can do it is because of a certain skillset, and I am cheap to hire.

My company has never had so many over 50's women in senior positions. I'm sure it's not the norm but it makes it an incredible place to work. Im hoping it makes younger women realise the top jobs are not just for the fellas.

Don’t see that in my world (IT) - seeing a lot of 50+ women taking on senior roles, leading organisations, mentoring next gen

Same in construction. Plenty of women over 50 working as construction professionals, and most 9f the clients I work with are women in that age group.

I’m 48 and feel like I’ve two big jobs still in me yet. Loads of women in their 50’s and 60’s still working with md

I’m 50 and secured a new senior board level role in SaaS earlier this year. I’m not the oldest, quite, but the most senior female; I was recruited on merit and experience.

I’m newly divorced and my new mortgage is until I’m 70, so will be working for a good while yet!

I work in tech in investment banking and there are lots of women 50 plus. I’m over 60 and have not found it hard to get new roles, especially contracting.

I'm 43.

I'm hoping to reduce my work over the next few years, with a view to a bit of consultancy once I'm 50. I've just had enough.

I love my work, but it's been 10 years of holding onto it by my fingernails since having kids, I have another 10 years to build up enough savings hopefully so that I can have a break finally, and do something much more part time, and much more by choice.

I see that happening around me - women who've made it to senior management, deciding that actually, they'd like some work/life balance now, and part-time is plenty thankyou very much.