Pensions Minister Declares Old Age to be Past 65

The pensions minister Steve Webb has now declared that at 59 people are still young and should not feel they are getting old.

Mr Webb's comments follow on from a study in which British people were found to be the most pessimistic with regards to attitudes about ageing.

The large scale European study concluded that British people were more prone than their European counterparts to thinking that old age begins at 60 and that 35 marks the end of youth.

Attitudes regarding the onset of old age do vary across cultures. For example the Greeks consider 68 to be the cut-off point for old age, whereas the Turks consider 55 to be old.

Mr Webb has a good reason for his opinion that old age starts later as he is leading the campaign to up the state pension age to 66 for both men and women. At present it is around 60 for women and 65 for men.

In a recent speech to the Chatham House think-tank, Mr Webb said: "The idea that 59 is old belongs in the past. We need to challenge our perceptions of what “old age” actually means. It is no longer the time where people are sitting back and enjoying the “twilight” of their lives. Instead it is often a time for new choices and new opportunities."

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