Baby Boomers Try to Stay in the Generational Mix as They Age
They reject the idea of devoting their later years to leisure, isolated from the experiences of younger people.
Members of the baby boomer generation, who in their youth proclaimed, “Don’t trust anyone over 30,” would rather not be segregated with people their own age as they grow older.
As they watch their elders living longer—to age 83 on average in Singapore, 81 in the U.K., and 79 in the U.S., with more people becoming centenarians each year—boomers are rejecting the notion that they should spend their later years devoted to leisure, isolated from the experiences of younger people. Growing numbers of U.S. boomers—currently 55 to 73—are working beyond the traditional retirement age, going back to school, and choosing to age in place in familiar neighborhoods instead of moving to senior communities. As a result, they’re connecting with people of diverse ages.