Yold
Life expectancy nearly doubled in developed countries in the 20th century. (The age to which a given population can expect to live, on average, is called its life expectancy.) Thanks to improvements in medicine, sanitation and technology, life expectancy as of 2018 was over 80 years for almost all developed countries; the United States, at 78.7 years, was the single exception.
By 2040 Japan will be the first society in the world to have 40 percent of its population older than 65. The Japanese have a term for people aged 65 to 75 years; they are the “yold” or young old. That term may need to be expanded, because there is a real possibility that biological research will extend the trend, slowing the aging process itself.
A traditional life course has three stages – education, work and family, retirement. When life is extended, expansion occurs almost exclusively in the retirement stage. That traditional course is being questioned at the Stanford Center on Longevity.
Based on the belief that “existing norms no longer work because they evolved for lives that were half as long, the Center is creating a New Map of Life that “redefines what it means to be ‘old’ and values people at different stages of life.” Research is underway by engineers, climate scientists, pediatricians, geriatricians, behavioral scientists, financial experts, biologists, educators, health-care providers, human resource consultants and philanthropists, envisioning “How do traditional models of education, work, lifestyles, social relationships, financial planning, health care, early childhood and intergenerational compacts need to change to support long lives?”
Some planning is necessary to avoid unsustainable situations. Living on retirement income for four decades will be unattainable for most people. To expect governments to support large cohorts of retirees for four decades is not sustainable. There will be fewer workers to support each retiree. Changing technology will require that education must extend beyond the early 20s. Norms for intergenerational relationships between parents and children did not anticipate the possibility of four or five living generations.
Rethinking all stages of life, not just old age, the Center anticipates exciting possibilities:
Teens could take breaks from high school and take internships in workplaces that intrigue them. Education wouldn’t end in youth but rather be ever-present and take many forms outside of classrooms, from micro-degrees to traveling the world…. There’s every reason to expect more zigzagging in and out of the labor force — especially by employees who are caring for young children or elderly parents — and more participation by workers over 60. There is good reason to think we will work longer, but we can improve work quality with shorter workweeks, flexible scheduling and frequent ‘retirements.’
The Stanford Center on Longevity begins with the belief that confronting longevity requires rethinking all stages of the life span. Education, leisure, family commitment and work can take place at each stage. Thus, “Old age alone wouldn’t last longer; rather, youth and middle age would expand, too.”