59% of women want to focus on looking healthy rather than young

New research from Avon has found that women in the UK over the age of 40 are finding a new sense of confidence and content with ageing and are less fearful about growing older.

The new report titled ‘The Power in Ageing’ published by Avon highlights the findings of a global study of women across seven countries and three continents, discovering what it really means to age in 2022.

Three in five (59%) women in the UK said that they feel their confidence is improving as they age, with over half (51%) agree that ageing is not something to fear.

These shifts in attitude and opinion are linked to the pandemic, with 66% agreeing that the pandemic has made them realise that life is fragile and that getting older is something to appreciate.

In this post-pandemic world, 52% of women link feeling powerful with self-confidence, compared to the 41% that link it to being financially stable. Consequently, a huge 85% of women in their forties said that they don’t care about being at the top, but instead define success as being able to create a balance that works for them and their lifestyle.

This research comes after a report that found that 74% of respondents said that the beauty industry still doesn’t offer positive or empowering representations of their age.

One of the main areas where women still feel ageism is an issue in their everyday lives is in the workplace. 48% of British women believe that ageism is an issue in the workplace and two thirds (66%) believe that women experience workplace ageism more than men.

Avon cheif executive office Angela Cretu said: “We’ve been reclaiming our power and taking control over the narrative of ageing and making it fit with who we really are and how we really feel. Now more than ever, what it means to be 40 and over is changing, and we’re finding the confidence we need to harness our power. If you ask me, it’s about time.”

Do you think ideas surrounding ageing are changing? Let us know in the comments…