Stop making generalisations about the over-50s

"People aged 55 and above want to stay in work."

"Job dissatisfaction triggers work exodus for people in their 50s."

"Women over 50 are not returning to the workplace."

"Women over 50 are having to work to shore up their pension." 

All sorts of reasons are given for these contradictory statements.

A glaring one is the pension inequity facing women over 50, many of whom were not able to save enough into a workplace pension and who have not been able to benefit from the fullness of the state pension. 

Surveys say this has been driving more women to stay in work for longer. 

Another is the cost of living crisis, which is keeping people in the workplace for longer than they had wished for.

I don't suppose the government will ever untangle that Gordian knot.

But then we have the statistical fact - as outlined earlier this year in the Budget - that more people than ever over the age of 50 are leaving the workplace. 

One reason given in a recent story is ageism in the workplace, which tends to favour younger people for promotions, bypassing older workers. Although this has been illegal since the 2010 Equalities Act (and immoral long before then), there are many people who feel they are being edged out.

Another reason, as highlighted by chancellor Jeremy Hunt back in the spring Budget, is the fact many older women in particular are doing childcare duties so that their daughters can return to work without paying extortionate childcare fees.

The announcement at the time that the 15/30 hours free childcare would be extended to children under the age of three was a welcome boon. 

But simply legislating to free grandparents from childcare duties and making it more equitable for older workers to remain in the workplace is not going to solve anything. 

Nor is relying on people's financial fears to keep them at work for longer. 

The fact is that humans are so much more complicated. 

Advisers have been saying this for decades: every client is unique and has different goals and ambitions.

Some clients want to work for their mental and social wellbeing. Others want to leave employed work and set up their own business. 

Some clients want to give up work because they have saved enough and now want to do all the fun things they could not do before, when their children were at school. 

Some may want to retrain or change career, while others want to go for that next, big, last promotion.

Other clients may want to go part-time so they can choose to spend more time with their grandchildren. Hunt may not believe this, but many people actually want to spend time with family.

Yet other clients choose to give up work to care for elderly parents - and we all know about the care crisis in the UK. I don't suppose the government will ever untangle that Gordian knot.

What all these surveys indicate to me is that government and big corporations forget the individual amid generalisations. 

They paint a picture of bleakness - poverty, fear, ageism, past-one's-sell-by-dateism, of being forced out of the workplace due to caring responsibilities. 

The message seems to be that the over 50s must stay in work to avoid grinding poverty, although in doing so, they face a disappointing, discouraging workplace environment. 

It's a cheerless message, without any thought for individual circumstances. 

Perhaps if more workplaces encouraged and paid for a session with an adviser for their employees, more individuals would realise they have different options and can start planning for their financial futures a lot earlier.