We're Not Our Grandfather's Retirees.

By Karen and Erica

When people hear any word beginning with retire, an unfortunate picture arises in their minds. One that has nothing to do with those of us retiring today. Where on earth did that idea of retirement come from? And why does it persist?

This article in The Atlantic provides a good synopsis. When the possibility that workers might survive the end of their jobs became reality in the late 19th century in Prussia, Otto von Bismarck was pressured to provide government support for those who could no longer work because of age or infirmity, but remained alive and in need of food and shelter. Rather cleverly, from the government’s perspective, workers became eligible for support at about the same age as they were expected to die. Good way to keep costs down.

In America, at about the same time, the military and certain other government entities, and in 1875 the American Express Company, began providing pensions after a certain age. The idea took hold (along with the thought that, at about age 60, workers should make way for younger people), and eventually, in 1935, Congress enacted social security legislation. Improving on Bismarck’s approach, the official retirement age was 65, while life expectancy was 58.

Retirement as many now perceive it was invented in the 1950s, when retirees were mostly men, men who had retired from physical jobs they held during rough times, men who now were expected to live to about 70, men who looked forward to a few years of fun in the sun with people like themselves. The economy had taken off, public heath had improved, and facilities for retirees were constructed in warm climates where relaxing was the principal objective.

Everything is different now. The first large wave of women to enter the career workforce is retiring. We had entirely different employment experiences—not just because the world of business has changed, but also because we are women. We fought for jobs that were increasingly global and information oriented. We became avid users of technology and social media. And we did it all while raising children and maintaining households.

We also have entirely different expectations of retirement. We are not looking at a few years of playtime. We will live for decades, and will likely remain healthy in mind and body. We have no intention of decoupling from the rest of the universe. We want to stay in the mix, we want purpose in our lives, and we want to find meaningful uses for the experience that only decades of life and work can bring.

Our lives and expectations are not congruent with a concept of retirement, and an image of retirees, from a bygone era. That’s the bad news.

The good news is—we get to redesign it all. Just the way we like it. We can style what we do, what we wear, how we shop. A movement has begun--the logical continuation of what we started when we entered the workforce. And it is growing. Since Lustre’s inception, we have been joined by tens of thousands of like-minded women. Being agents of change is one of the best things about our new status. Together, we can create a new retirement paradigm.

There’s no stopping us now.