What Does Retirement in America Look Like?

This post is written in celebration of Older Americans Month.  Wider Opportunities for Women is marking this month with their 2nd Annual Blog Day event, where they are encouraging everyone to get involved in the discussion on issues concerning economic security for all.  See their website to view blog posts written by advocates and average citizens from across the country.

When I retire, I hope to spend it doing a lot of long-term leisurely travel around the world that I did not get to do while working and raising a family.  I have even considered a new career as a part-time health and wellness consultant, educating people about how to use food to stay healthy.  When not traveling or creating my own part-time income opportunities, I will probably volunteer a few hours a week tutoring adults in basic literacy.  I know that whatever I wind up doing in retirement, it will be my choice.  Unfortunately for many senior citizens, retirement planning was never really an option.

In the last few years it seems like more senior citizens are taking on jobs in retail and fast food — jobs that have traditionally been held by young teens.  As an advocate for the  rights of the working poor, I can’t help but to wonder about how their own education (or lack thereof) has led them to this work in their golden years.  I know there are some retirees who choose to take on 10 to 12 hours per week working at their local grocery store just to get out of the house — however I am not talking about them.  I want to learn more about those who are supposed to be retired, but find themselves working 30+ hours per week in low-paying jobs just to pay for food and shelter.

My fellow adult literacy teachers recognize who I am speaking of.  Just this past semester, I had a student in his early 60′s enrolled in my basic math class while also taking up free courses at his church to work in a restaurant.  He was also homeless.  He dropped out of my class towards the end of the semester because he said the pressure of doing both courses was too much for a person his age.  I tried to convince him to stay and finish, but he had already made up his mind.  In previous literacy classes, I have had retired women working as caretakers to their sick husbands, siblings, and even their grandchildren — all at the same time.  They worked in fast food a few hours a week to buy their grandchildren school clothes because their parents were unable to provide for them.

For many of us who serve older adults in literacy classes, retirement is just an age.  It has no real significance to be marked by a retirement party, the start of a new entrepreneurial endeavor, or the planning of long term travel to exotic locations around the world.  These folks are surviving day to day, hoping that God will provide all they need for themselves and their family members that depend on their ability to work.  So when you think of supporting funding for adult education, remember our senior citizens who need to learn to use computers, read prescriptions, use public transportation, and learn new job skills.

If you like this post, please subscribe by email or subscribe through your favorite reader.

Tags: adult education, adult literacy, low-wage work, senior citizens