http://www.education.edean.org/pdf/Intro007.pdf

In countries across Europe governments are facing aging populations, increasing dependency ratios and the need to increase the labor market participation of older men and women. In the past, the lifestyle of those in there 50s was characterized by a high degree of permanence and stability. Now, with rapid economic and social restructuring, a broadly homogeneous 50s age group has become fragmented into a number of diverse groupings driven by different types of employment, family forms and other biographical experiences.