Have you
heard the warnings that pensions are in danger? It is predicted that there will
be too few working people to support the pensions of retirees. Our current populations
are heavily weighted towards seniors.
In medieval
times the population was heavily weighted towards youth. Life expectancy was
50. Childhood was short. Boys started work at seven and were responsible
citizens by their teens. It was not uncommon for men to become ship captains or
military commanders at what our society would consider school age. Girls too reached
maturity at a younger age and were encouraged to bear children in their teens.
Not everyone
died by 50. There were some older people around. The proportion of elders in
the population was relatively sparse, however. And the age at which people were
considered older was a lot earlier. In his book about Medieval England, Ian
Mortimer says, “It is generally said that medieval men are in their prime in
their twenties, mature in their thirties and growing old in their forties.”*
Mortimer
goes onto describe the lot of medieval citizens who were lucky enough to
survive longer. Old men were considered somewhat of an embarrassment because
they are no longer useful. On the other hand, old women are considered to have
gained wisdom and have a role to play in the household.
Doune Castle in Scotland, a surviving Medieval dwelling
Sources:
Mortimer,
Ian. The Time Traveller’s Guide to
Medieval England. Vintage Books, London, 2009 p37.*
