- Women aged 45 – 65 more confident in their body and appearance
- One in five say their sex life is better now compared to their younger years
- 8 in 10 women aged 45+ don’t feel represented enough in adverts
- Women over 45 are not catered for by high street retailers (70%)
Research released today (13 September 2017) reveals that women aged 45 – 65 are more body confident (56%)*, experiencing more life adventures (16%) and enjoying a new lease of life as a result of children moving out of the family home.
One in five women aged 45+ even say their sex life is better now compared to their younger years. In fact, almost half of women aged between 45 and 65 (42%) would like to increase the time they spend between the sheets.
A state of the nation report on the ‘Midster’ market by online retailer JD Williams reveals that mid-life is anything but a barren middle ground between youth and old age; mid-life for today’s 45 - 65 year olds is a distinct and exciting phase of life.
A third of women aged 45 - 65 (31%) have undertaken a career change in their 40s or 50s, and one in three women class themselves as the main ‘breadwinner’ in the household. However a healthy work – life balance is something this age group struggle to maintain, with only three in ten claiming this is something they have achieved.
When asked what excites them about growing older, almost half (44%) of women say they’re excited by the prospect of having more leisure time, 33% are looking forward to the prospect of grandchildren, while one in five women are excited to receive their free bus pass!
Despite the increase in body confidence, more than one in ten women worry about losing their sex appeal and sex drive as they grow older. Other worries associated with ageing include memory loss (70%), losing their independence and being reliant on others (68%) and health problems (67%). However those surveyed are much more conscious of their diet and healthy eating with 61% more mindful of the food they eat now compared to their younger years and a quarter of women state that they’ve become healthier as they’ve got older.
Even with the apparent positive attitudes of the women surveyed, the report reveals that these women still feel underrepresented in the media, with eight in ten British women aged 45+ not feeling represented enough in TV adverts, 70% feeling ignored by the high street and 8 in 10 believing that their age group isn’t represented on fashion catwalks.
CEO of N Brown Group, which owns JD Williams, Angela Spindler said: “The negative connotations traditionally associated with ‘middle age’ are slowly being forgotten. Speaking from experience, this is a vibrant stage of life full of new possibilities. Women are now living more colourful and varied lives, which are better defined by their attitudes and ambitions, rather than their age which is frankly, just a number.
“As a brand, we’ve worked hard to reflect these changes in consumer mind-set, evolving our fashion designs to ensure we’re catering for our customers to allow them to feel confident and comfortable in whatever they choose to wear. We continue to use age-appropriate models in our campaigns, which is it’s something we wholeheartedly encourage other retailers to do. For us, it’s about ensuring that these women are represented - and celebrated!”
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