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3rd Careers
HOT TOPICS Week Ending Feb. 24, 2006 - Vol. 2, No. 6
Diane Keaton just turned 60. So did Goldie Hawn.
Makes me think about all the women I know who are traveling life’s later path together.
This week’s HOT TOPICS is addressed to these women and to you, the men, who love them!
The facts!
Between 2000 and 2010, according to the BLS, there will be an additional 10 million women over the age of 55 in America. This represents a 52% increase in the 10-year period.
It is anticipated by the BLS that 50% of all women over the age of 55 must work, in some capacity, either full or part-time.
Why?
How many women in your home State are 50 and single? For example, in my home – California - nearly half of women over 50 are single and 14% experience deep poverty.
Single California women over 50 have an average income of just $25,707 - less than half the income of married women that age. Direct from the DOL.
All women, regardless of their residence, are less likely to have pensions than men. When they do have pensions, they are lower than men’s. A case of the blindingly obvious.
If present mortality rates continue, even 65 year olds will have 20 years to live. I sure hope so!
According to Prudential’s life expectancy tables, some 50% of married women over age 65 will outlive their husbands by at least 15 years.
The (still) increasing cost of health benefits will continue to drive women back to work.
But, will they be doing the work they enjoy as age overtakes youth?
Many older women will be found in low paying and, often, mundane jobs. But, it need not be if women will get themselves back to school right now and join the 28% of working women who are college graduates or others who are specifically preparing for the “hot jobs” the new marketplace wants or needs. FYI - The latest statistics from the Department of Education show that the number of Americans between the ages of 45 and 69 enrolled in adult education classes increased 23%, from 22.6 million in 1995 to 27.9 million by the beginning of the year 2000 – so, some folks are listening to the call to invest in lifelong learning.
What are 2 of the most important 3rd Career opportunities within reach of educated adults?
(1) Tutoring, especially math, science and reading skills. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, students in the United States finished in the bottom of mathematics skills when compared to students in 40 surveyed countries. (2) Do you regret that you didn’t enter the medical profession when you were younger? Did others discourage you because you were a woman? Well, it’s not too late if you go back to school. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of physician assistants will increase by 49 percent, compared to only a 15 percent increase in U.S. employment. PA’s will be the third-fastest growing profession in the U.S. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Let Choice NOT Chance determine your destiny!
Are you still working?
It is entirely possible that your firm offers a reasonably liberal educational reimbursement plan. Take advantage of it while someone else is footing the bill. Your employer will benefit from your additional learning experience and you will have a transportable skill to take with you into the future.
Are you an employer seeking a powerful retention strategy?
Liberalize the scope of your educational reimbursement plan. Small investment if you wish to retain folks who need to prepare for the future. Educational reimbursement benefits have, so far, been the least utilized of all employer-sponsored benefits - yet - many people think that they offer the best ROI because the responsibility for learning is placed squarely in the hands of the individual – not the organization. The organization wins by retaining individuals who might otherwise have left and, of course, learning something new demonstrates flexibility, ambition and drive – not bad qualities to foster in your workforce!
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