The Super Age - Bradley Schuman

Sub-title: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny 

I've long been an advocate for understanding the impact of our aging society.  This book documents the coming "age storm" and the potential impacts on all aspects of society.  It was repetitive in making its point which bogged down the reading.  I took awhile to finish it.  I've long been fascinated with the impact of aging and this read added a new perspective.

Quotes:

"p 24 - In 1875, American Express Company started offering private corporate pensions, the first of their kind.  The stated goal was to reward ...workers...as a charitable way to ease them out of the workforce.  Again, that tied in to the ability of a worker to do a job and was not necessarily tied to chronological age."

p.29 - "...most national social welfare systems are predicated on having a relatively large, you working population that pays taxes to support a relatively small, older retired population.  National economies, which are built on the false premise o perennial growth, could begin to contract."

p. 33 "The Greeks saw aging as a downward slope of decrepitude.  They even worshipped Geras, the god of old age, who was represented as a shriveled-up man holding a cane."

p. 88 ..women who serve their families as homemakers and caregivers, rather than in income-generating work, are doubly penalized..they do not attain financial freedom during their lifetimes...financial security in old age is tied to marital status and financial success of their husband.  The system was designed this way.  Husbands, as it turns out, are a terrible retirement policy."

p. 169 [describing Mitsubishi older worker program] "...is important because it illustrates the necessity of retaining and transferring institutional knowledge."

p. 171 [on generationally diverse staff] "Considering the whole life...a generationally diverse Super Age staff will have different needs."

p 196 "...everyone wants to be part of something.  All people want to belong and be seen as part of something."

p. 205 "Establishing a cooperative is one strategy an older entrepreneur can employ to ext from a business and make a profit while keeping important services in the community."

Published: 2022   Read: September 2022  Genre: Non-fiction