When does middle age start, when does it end… what is middle age for a man and is it any different to middle age for a woman, but more to the point, why does it matter?
If you’ve googled this subject (which you probably have if you’re reading this) then you’ll probably know that there’s a lot of conflicting information about this subject out there.
I’m here to see if we can sort this out!
When does middle age start and end?
Being ‘middle aged’ tends to have a lot of negative connotations for some reason, which quite frankly, I don’t understand.
To me, being middle aged is simply living the ‘middle’ part of your life, and if you consider that people become adults at about twenty years old and live until they’re about eighty, then from that you can sort of guess when the middle bit might be.
There’s no need to get all academic about it as far as I’m concerned.
I’m quite happy to consider myself middle aged, too.
It’s got a nice ring to it, but ask any of my mates (who are all in their mid to late forties) and they swear there’s no way they’re middle aged!!
And that’s a good thing, which I’ll come to a bit later.
But for now, let’s dive a bit deeper into what’s already out there.
Depending upon who you believe, middle age can start from anywhere between forty and fifty-five and can continue until sixty or even seventy years old.
Those age ranges are just so varied, that you have to wonder how each of those studies has been conducted. How can it be so different?
Who were they asking, Chimpanzees? More on that later…
While there’s obviously a great deal of debate about when middle age starts and ends, one thing that appears to be much more certain is average life expectancy.
Related: 17 Essential Actions Middle Aged Men Should Take
Life expectancy for men and women
The average life expectancy for men in the UK is 79.2 years and for women, it’s 82.9
These figures are pretty similar for the rest of the developed world give or take a few years as shown in the charts below.
Based on this simple fact, I would argue that if you’re going to live until you’re about 80, then when you’re in your forties, you’re somewhere in the middle of your life. Am I right or am I wrong?
Is middle age the same for men and women?
As you can see in the data above, women outlive men by an average of around four years. They always have and they probably always will.
Some argue that this is because men work harder (really?) or have more destructive lifestyles (drinking and smoking more).
But keep in mind that female chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons also consistently outlive males which has led many experts to believe that it is in fact biology which helps women to live longer.
Women also reach the menopause at around fifty years old when they naturally become unable to bear children as their production of estrogen and progesterone in the ovaries decreases.
Given that both male and female lifespans are so similar and that our stereotypical ‘stages of life’ are parallel, I think it’s fair to say that middle age for men and women can be counted as the same.
Agreed? Good.
A human’s lifespan (stereotypical)
Childhood (0-12): From nappies to high school through a torrent of physical and cognitive changes. Childhood is a whirlwind of fun, games, tantrums and nappy rash.
Youth (12-20): Then teenagers appear. They think they know it all, go through puberty, discover alcohol and the opposite sex. At the end of this period, formal education is over and the poor things are lost in the world. They still think they know it all.
Young adults (20-30): It’s university, backpacking, nightclubs and junior positions from twenty to thirty and most will have left home by this stage of life.
Grown-ups (30-40): Gone are the care-free twenties and most people by this stage are feeling a little more grown-up and are focussed on finding stability.
Many people get married, (the average age for heterosexual marriage in the UK in 2017 was 35 for women and 38 for men) start families, buy their first property and move into more secure employment at this stage of life.
Middle aged (40-55): Next middle age kicks in. Your family is growing, you need a bigger house, you’re now in a more senior position at work with much more responsibility. You’re starting to notice quite a few physical changes and you realise that life is moving pretty fast (and you’re halfway through it).
Mature (55-70): Your kids are young adults or grown-ups and you’re finding comfort in neutral colours. Retirement is on the horizon and you’re looking forward to some quiet time in the garden and the grandkids making an appearance.
Old aged (70-80+): Things are starting to slow down now and one by one your faculties are declining. Supermarket cafes are your new favourite place to hang out and your kids (when they come to visit) have a tendency to turn the volume down on your TV by a notch or ten.
It’s just a case of holding on for as long as you can now!
So you’ve reached middle age… but who cares?
Despite all of the inconclusive data and confusion about when middle age starts, when it ends and how old you have to be, to be classified as a ‘middle aged man’. To be honest, who really cares?
My mates certainly don’t.
Perhaps they think of middle age as being much older. Maybe they think it starts at fifty or even sixty, but despite the fact that we’re living longer and longer, I really believe that middle age is that time when you’re at that apex of life – at your most busy.
The time when you’re the one with the young kids and the teenagers at home. When you’re also looking after your parents and juggling all the stresses of life stuffed into days that feel like minutes.
For most people, that time comes along around at about forty to fifty-five years old.
So if you are middle aged. Don’t sweat it. Accept it.
You’re still only as young as you feel, and remember; Smashing Fifty is here to help you stay as young, healthy and strong as you can for as long as you can.
So keep Smashing it, and live your most exciting life, you old git!
Sources:
Life expectancy data Australia | Life expectancy data USA | Life expectancy data UK