Mandatory Retirement: A Disgrace to Personal Choice and Valuable Skills

Imagine reaching the age of 65, filled with wisdom and experience, only to be told that you must retire from your job. This outdated practice of 'mandatory retirement' not only takes away personal choice but also discriminates against senior citizens and wastes valuable skills and resources.

Traditionally, people retire from their jobs when they reach the age of 65. In some jobs, this is not an option but a requirement. Mandatory retirement for capable workers is wrong because it violates personal choice, discriminates against senior citizens, and wastes valuable skills as well as money.

One reason that mandatory retirement is wrong is that it takes away an individual's personal choice of either continuing to work or retiring. The older working person should have the right to choose his or her retirement age. A person's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (as written in the Declaration of Independence) is a very special thing. Forced retirement takes away people's livelihood, deprives them of their freedom to choose how to spend their time, and prevents them from pursuing happiness.

Second, mandatory retirement is surely a form of age discrimination. A young person might wonder why an older worker should be kept on the payroll when the company could hire someone who is younger and more creative. However, a younger person would not necessarily be a better or more creative worker. Age does not indicate the quality of a person's work. Many well-known artists, politicians, and writers developed their best works after the age of 60. The common belief that a person's mind slows down after a certain age is nothing but a 'misconception'.

In addition to the previous two points, quality of work is another important issue. Older employees have knowledge and experience that can truly be beneficial to a company. Unfortunately, many employers disregard this fact. Captain Al Haynes, aged 58, was able to land a DC-10 that was out of control so that 186 of the 296 people aboard survived when it crashed. The aircraft manufacturer simulated the same situation 45 times, and not one time did they have a successful landing.

Safety experts agree that the high survival rate among the passengers on the flight was due to Captain Haynes's aviation skills. It is doubtful that a less experienced pilot could have accomplished this feat. However, two years later, Captain Haynes had to retire because he had reached the age of 60, the mandatory retirement age for pilots in the United States.

'mandatory': necessary

'a livelihood': source of income

'a misconception': error, false impression

'to disregard': ignore, pay no attention to

Many people, especially fresh college graduates, do not agree that retirement should be an option. They are worried that if older workers are allowed to continue in their jobs, there will not be enough openings for younger people. However, is there really a danger that older people will take away job opportunities from younger people?

This situation is unlikely because younger workers and older workers rarely compete for the same jobs. The reality is that older workers rarely seek entry-level positions. Therefore, employers should start looking for ways to attract experienced workers, not retire them.

In conclusion, the age of retirement should be determined by an individual's economic need, health status, and personal preference.

People's lives are their own, and they should be allowed to live them to their fullest potential. Without a doubt, mandatory retirement goes against fulfilling this potential and should not be a part of modern society.