At Retirement Age, a Worker Chooses to Keep Going

After reaching the legal retirement age, the writer sets out on a short trip to answer a personal question, whether to retire or keep working. She says the issue had been bothering her for a long time, but only became unavoidable when her age suddenly matched the retirement number. To organize her thoughts, she makes two lists on the plane, one for retiring and one for staying on the job.

Before the trip, she speaks with friends in the same age group. Some have already retired and are enjoying classes, trips, cafes, volunteering, and time with grandchildren. Others, including a senior manager who recently turned 70, say they are still working because they feel relevant and influential. Those conversations shape her own reflection.

During four days away with her partner, she enjoys green and blue landscapes, time to think, and the feeling of being free to do only what she loves. She also weighs financial, family, social, emotional, and workplace considerations. In the end, she concludes, “I am staying, as long as it depends on me,” and thanks her employer for allowing her to continue. She says work gives her quality of life, value, and relevance, and notes that studies show losing a sense of relevance can reduce a person’s life value.

She also mentions wider context, including a Finance Ministry proposal to gradually raise retirement age to 70 and perhaps cancel mandatory retirement altogether. As a mother of three daughters, she says she also feels a duty to show them the importance of women’s freedom of choice. She returns home after four “magic” days, back to routine and work, without retiring, לפחות for now.