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Older women choose to stay in work longer
The
workforce presence of older women has almost doubled in a generation. Council on the Ageing executive director Ian
Yates said the declining birth rate meant people would need to work
"way past 65" to sustain the economy. "If people are as fit and healthy in
their mid-60s as they used to be in their mid-50s, why shouldn't they keep
working?" he said. Many older men were choosing to retire early
but for some "it's a pseudonym for being forced out". An Australian Bureau of Statistics report,
based on 2001 census data, shows the change in workforce participation
rates for men and women over 30 years. In 1971, 89 per cent of men aged 45 to 64
were in the labour force but this fell to 77 per cent in 2001. For men over 65, the rate decreased from 22
per cent to 12 per cent. Meanwhile, the participation rate for women
aged 45 to 64 rose from 32 per cent to 58 per cent and for women over 65
it rose slightly from 4 per cent to 5 per cent. The figures show many over-65s are opting for
part-time careers. For those aged 60 to 64, 26.2 per cent of males and
56.7 per cent of females work part-time. The report, Ageing in Australia, says
while working women have achieved far greater acceptance since the 1970s,
their careers are often broken by child-rearing. Many women in their 40s return to full-time
work as their children leave home or become more independent, while many
with younger children work part-time. Population projections show the proportion of
people aged 45 to 64 is expected to increase every year for the next 50
years. This will have a huge impact on government
policies on income support, attitudes to older people and measures to
retrain older people to extend their careers. By 2021, the number of older people in Office for Women director Carmel O'Loughlin
said many older women worked because of financial necessity. Many baby
boomers had not worked during their child-bearing years, so had not been
contributing to superannuation funds. For those who divorced and found they could
not access their husband's superannuation, work was necessary. "Women
generally have had time out of the workforce and are just hitting their
straps when they're 50," she said. "I think middle-class women would prefer
to be in the workforce. I want to do it for my intellectual stimulation
but also because I need the money. I love going to work."
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
