Men after retirement

We like our lives to have meaning. Many men have worked while being in relationships - sexual and non sexual - by working for our families. This includes blended families, same-sex families and extended families. Men have a need for connection to others. In the vast majority of cases, men hugely enjoy being with friends, mates, and various people to whom we feel bonded. Life can be a lonely path for many of us. Other people make the journey easier.

We need to stay in touch with new developments - TV, computers, YouTube - the whole electronic world changes all the time. We need to stay abreast of developments if we are to avoid becoming unemployable.

Finally, we need to be aware that men have spiritual needs in a broad sense - enjoyment of the sea and nature as well as organised religion. Men today are sceptical of organised religion, but many are embracing new forms of belief unknown to their parents.

An ageing population

We know that little by little, the Australian population is living longer each year, on average. The Bureau of Statistics says the population aged 65 years and over will increase from 13 per cent (June 2002) to about 28 per cent by 2051. And the proportion of the population aged 85 years and older will increase from 1.5 per cent (June 2002) to about 7.5 per cent by 2051.

Once men would struggle to reach 50 or so and live a few years as worn-out husks before dying. Medical science has extended our lives: we have pacemakers, stents and so on that were unknown to earlier generations. A year ago a kind doctor found that I had three problems in my heart. I was like the old Valiant I used to have, that went a bit slow because only three of its six cylinders were working. After a valve replacement I have a new lease of life and can enjoy vigorous activity again.

If men are living longer, is this a problem? The Howard Government already has a Minister for Ageing: the Honourable Chris Pyne. There are websites and research projects being funded. Governments are concerned about the increasing proportion of people who will have to be supported by workers aged between 18 and 60. We can’t have a shrinking tax base supporting tons of people whose lives have been prolonged. Thus we have seen the emergence of policies designed to keep people working longer.

In many ways this is a good thing, as long as we don’t have to work till we drop of exhaustion. It also raises issues of when is life worth preserving, and when we should let people go.

Advertisers know about the grey dollar. There is a huge industry advising people how to invest their money. But I find once I tell these people that my money is safely invested, they lose interest. There isn’t enough public-interest advocacy and far too much “give me your money” advice. Some firms have made money selling older people retirement homes or those massive motor homes you see commonly on US freeways.

“Travel for seniors” is being catered for, because travel gets more challenging as you get frailer. I don’t have the energy to walk all over Europe and stay in youth hostels, as I did when I was a kid of 40. So it’s a case of working out how to do the things you want to do. And finding the right people to advise us and taking a hard look at the questionable bargains we’re offered.

Recommendations

What do we need so that men can have a happier and more productive retirement?

First, we must save more. It would be a simple matter to increase the compulsory superannuation levy so that all working people increased superannuation contributions by 2 per cent every year over say the next five years.

Second, we need to think of men’s lives in more complex ways, as we saw earlier - so that we can see retired men as people who can help create a caring and decent society.

Third, let’s see men after retirement not as a problem, but a resource pool of talent. Boys in trouble at school need mentors. Kids love to be with grandfathers and can learn so much from them.

We need to provide retired men with male-specific support. If men don’t perceive agencies as targeted to men, they won’t go and see them. We must find ways of listening to retired men and provide services and support: not just have some public servant decide what they need.

And lastly, look at that retired person and imagine: what would you do if you retired next week? Do some thinking and planning for it, for these can be long and tedious years of boredom and despair. But with help from the friends you have cultivated over the years, and your loved ones, these can be the most challenging years of your life. And men love a challenge.