Unravelling Life Expectancy: Factors, opportunities, and the Olympic Games

The Olympics were revived in the 19th century by Baron Pierre de Coubertin when the first modern Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896.

28 years later, Paris hosted their second Summer Olympic Games in 1924. Those games featured 3,088 athletes from 44 countries, who competed in 126 events, including American Johnny Weissmuller, who won three gold medals in the pool before famously going on to play the role of Tarzan in 12 Hollywood movies!

100 years on and Paris is yet again the host city for this year’s Games, which now feature over 15,000 athletes from 206 nations, competing in 869 events in front of more than 13 million ticket holders.

Quite a change, mirrored by the shift away from amateur ideals to an age of professional elite athletes, who, on average live 5 years longer than the general population, largely due to the reduced incidence of cancer and cardiovascular related deaths amongst some of the fittest people on the planet.  

The good news for those of us who are not quite as fit as our Olympic stars, is that over the 100 years since Paris last hosted the Olympics, the average life expectancy for both an Australian man and woman has increased by 22.1 years.

Life expectancy in Australia for a man is now 81.3 years and for a woman is 85.4 years.

These changes in life expectancy are being driven by a range of societal and personal factors, including:

• Advances in medical technology, better access to healthcare services, and effective treatments for diseases;
• Vaccination programs, sanitation improvements, clean water supply, and effective disease control;
• Access to better and more nutritious food, leading to improved overall health;
• Higher levels of education often lead to better health awareness and healthier lifestyle choices;
• Lower levels of violence, crime, and social unrest contribute to a safer environment;
• Reduced pollution and better environmental conditions;
• Advances in genetic research and personalized medicine;
• Lifestyle Changes: Increased awareness and adoption of healthy behaviours, such as regular exercise, not smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption; and
• Increased income levels and improved living standards.

The increase in life expectancy, not just in Australia, but around the world, is contributing to our ageing population and the pressures that places on tax revenues as well as the cost of aged care and health services.

Sadly, what hasn’t changed though is the way we stereotype people based on their age – that still kicks in at 50 – and will continue to put pressure on income levels for people aged over 50.

100 years ago, when the average life expectancy for a man in Australia was 59.3 years and for a woman, 63.3 years, arguably, once you hit the age of 50, you were approaching later life.  Now, with those changes in average life expectancy, turning 50 is much more like midlife.

Whilst the Olympic movement and life expectancy have both moved on, societal stereotyping of people who’ve turned 50 has hardly changed.  Many people, especially in a workplace environment, consider that Australian’s aged 50+ are:

• Technologically inept;
• Set in their ways;
• Have health issues and are experiencing physical decline;
• Are less productive at work;
• Out of touch with modern culture;
• Can be forgetful and cognitive decline; and are
• Boring and unadventurous.

Nothing could be further from the truth, yet this stereotyping is not helped by the Australian Bureau of Statistics using 45 as the age at which people are classified as mature age workers.   

So, what can we do to help prepare for greater longevity by fighting against ageism in the workplace: 

• As people live longer, they will need to work for more years to support themselves, and the wider economy.  This imperative has to lead to changes in career planning and employment patterns;
• With people remaining in the workforce longer, there will be a more diverse age range within workplaces. This can bring a wealth of benefits through intergenerational working;
• Midlife workers bring experience and knowledge, which can boost productivity, especially if they are supported by continuous learning and development programs;
• An aging population will shift the demand for certain types of jobs, especially in healthcare, elder care, and related services. There may also be increased demand for jobs in leisure and recreation industries catering to an older population, new roles, which may be well suited to midlife Australians;
• As we remain in the workforce longer, there could be implications for job mobility and balancing opportunities for all age groups becomes crucial; and finally
• Increased life expectancy can strain pension systems and super funds, prompting individuals and governments to reconsider retirement age, retirement income levels, access to superannuation, and savings plans.

By the time the Brisbane Olympics starts in 2032, average life expectancy will have increased again to see an average Australian man living to 83.1 years and a woman to 87.8 years.

Let’s hope by then that we’ve also changed societies view of turning 50!