What does ‘late career’ mean for women ?

Coming from a research background I am very used to hearing terms for career stages, for example ‘early’ and ‘mid-career’. In my 30 years in academic environments, I didn’t ever hear the term late career or see resources available to people in this career stage. That’s because the careers of older workers are not prioritised by their employers, an outcome of ageism in the workplace. It might also be because there is a dearth of research on late career and almost none on women in later career.

So, what is late career and what does it mean for women? To answer this question, I turned to the literature on career stages and here’s what I learned.

Career Stages Theory

‘Career stages’ as a way of thinking about work across our lifetimes first emerged in the 1950s as a framework to help people understand their own career in the context of what is considered age/stage ‘normal’. The framework is used to support people to think about their career development and plan for their progression to the next stage. It typically includes 5 such stages:

Establishment: 21 – 25 years Before gaining permanent employment

Growth:               25 – 35 Characterised by having the first long term job.

Mid Career:        35 – 45  Career stability and progression. Possible time for a career change

Late Career:       45 – 55 Less focused on career advancement, focused on supporting others careers. 

Decline:               55 – 65 Progression to retirement after ‘a solid career’

I nearly choked when I first read this. This very outdated framework was clearly conceptualised to describe men’s careers in the 1950s and it’s hard to believe the framework is still commonly used.  First, it is completely out of date with the experience of women. Women’s careers are interrupted by child rearing and family responsibilities which means our careers are less likely to follow one path. Women also don’t have access to the same career trajectories as men and are not supported, sponsored or resourced in the same way.

Secondly, is also completely normative without any acknowledgement of diversity based on socio-economic background, ethnicity, rurality or Aboriginality. And finally, it completely disregards the contribution of people over the age of 55 or any career ambitions they might have. 

An Alternative Framing

The women over fifty I work with would probably say they are in a late career phase and yet it doesn’t look anything like what is described above. Late career for them is a time of re-invention. 

Unlike men who have made a determined sprint to the end of their 30 year career, women have moved in and out of employment, had the lion share of responsibility for looking after kids and for them, late career is a time with greater freedom to choose.

Sometimes in the fifties women are becoming empty nesters, dealing with menopause, newly divorced or newly partnered to name just a few life transitions. They did a lot of heavy lifting in their forties balancing family and career and are now ready to focus more on themselves.

Late Career: Re-invention

At the heart of reinvention in late career is a psychological transition. Re-invention is achieved through an exploration of self (in work and life) and actions which overtime involve a transition to the more desired state and eventually to life beyond work. According to Rachel August (2016) there are four drivers of women’s career decisions in this phase:

Authenticity. Women want to be more themselves and start to prioritise their own voice and ambitions after fifty. Many have more time for themselves and start to shift their focus to their own growth.  

Meaning. Women in late career are driven to find deeper levels of meaning in work, and in life.

Life balance. Women seek life balance across their entire career but in late career, they finally have a sense that balance is within reach. The drive is to design a life that really excites them and brings them joy.

Challenge. Women in late career continue to strive for growth and enjoy challenge in their work. They want jobs that are stimulating and allow them to demonstrate their competencies, and they want to continue to learn. Over time, challenge at work becomes of lesser importance, as they lift their gaze to life beyond work, and is replaced by a desire for challenge in other parts of their lives.

My take on it….

In stark contrast to ‘decline’, late career for women is a time of discovery and growth which is characteristic of personal re-invention.

From an employer perspective, there is an opportunity to retain and support women in late career by understanding and addressing women’s needs for authenticity, meaning, balance and challenge. One such strategy is to provide access to coaches who specialise in working with women in late career. Coaching provides a space for self-discovery and supports healthy transitions – which are good for women and good for the organisations they work for.