NAVIGATING THE THRESHOLD INTO OUR 60S AND BEYOND

BY ARDITH BOWMAN JANUARY 05, 2023 LIFESTYLE www.sixtyandme.com

Research about our phase of life increasingly views the 60s and 70s as entering an entirely new stage of life, much like adolescence to adulthood is a stage transition. This certainly contrasts with the view of these years being the end of our societal influence and participation because we have reached the final step of the 20^th century “learn, earn, retire” view of life.

But what does this shift to a stage transition perspective really mean for our understanding of this phase of life?

No Precedence

A century ago, by your 70s – if you were still alive – you probably would be experiencing or expecting decline. After all, the life expectancy for a woman in the US was around 55 years. So, being 60 and beyond was a bit of a waiting game. Not so now!

In fact, I just read an article urging universities to expand life-long learning options; they defined the end of midlife at ...