China is planning to raise the retirement age for the first time since the 1950s, as society confronts the prospects of a shrinking workforce and an increasingly strained pension system.
Aged 55, Dr. Li shows no sign of stopping in her career, even if her peers or women in China in her age are in the buffer to enter retirement.
“In a typical surgery, I no longer have to be there all way through, as my job now is to handle the most crucial part of the operation. And my body tells me I’ve no problems with a late retirement,” said Dr. Xiuqin Li, chief physician, Shengjing Hospital’s Dept. of Gynecology.
In almost every major hospital across the country, the long queue to see a doctor suggests a scarcity in China’s medical system. And for a profession like this, acquiring years of clinical experience is a must to become qualified.
“I started to feel confident in my therapies and surgeries in the past few years. It will be a shame for senior doctors who have spent years studying and practicing only to retire in their golden years,” Dr. Li said.
China has been discussing proposals to lift the retirement age since 2008, the final plans could be put into action this year. While we have seen people, like Dr. Li, who are happy about the reforms, there are others who have doubts and concerns.
There are reluctant voices among sectors that involve high labor intensity, where the reform will have a tough time winning over hearts and minds of local workers, just like bus driver Yuan Xinshun.
“My driver’s license won’t allow me to drive large passenger vehicles once I reach 60, and even if it does, I’m not sure if my body can stand the intensity and burnout,” Yuan said.
Given the differences among working populations as well as urban and rural disparities, it will not be easy to reach a societal consensus for such reforms.
