France is on the warpath, as we have been reporting these days, due to the Government's will to delay the retirement age by two years and go from 62 to 64 years. The measure is very unpopular, but it has the logic of a society where longevity increases while the number of births decreases. The average age of the French population, as in the rest of Europe, is getting higher and at the current rate, if there are no arrivals of younger immigrants, the EU is on its way to being a great nursing home. In Spain, the average age of the population is 44 years old today, and in 1982 it was 34. The demographic trend is very clear, and the percentages of those over 65 grow annually and those under 25 decrease.
In this context, it would be normal for the retirement age, despite the protests in France, to be delayed, but to say this today is almost heresy. Early retirements are the order of the day and many companies prefer, due to economic interests, to replace professionals who still have a long way to go in their boots but have high salaries with young people who are more than well-prepared but who will accept lower salaries.
The paradox is that society invites professionals who are in an excellent state of mind and health to leave the labor market. We don't say it just to say it. Ongoing studies reveal that those over 70 today retain better physical and cognitive abilities than those of the same age a decade ago.
And ageism, which is the prejudice that exists about the ability of the elderly, is increasingly common in our society. Against this existing climate, Manel Domínguez, doctor in Social Communication and author of the book Senior, which is highly recommended, rebels against the paradigm shift that involves replacing the protective and caring vision of older people with a new look that values their talent more and what they can contribute to the community. The seniors ask for passage.
