Silent Majority: The Place of Middle Age in Brazil

Don’t Look Up Ahead

The conversation about possible futures is at fever pitch. Everyone is (or wants to be) a futurist. If you counted the words in the titles of talks at an event like Hacktown (our closest local relative to SXSW), where I spoke last week, “future(s),” “possible,” “desirable,” and, of course, “AI” would top the list. It’s reminiscent of what happened to Design Thinking a decade ago. Maybe it’s a sign of the times: in the 2010s, we were collectively more excited about technology’s potential and eager to push back against corporate stodginess; in the 2020s, the mood is heavier, darker - in part because power is concentrated in the hands of very few companies and individuals - to the point where imagining optimistic, less dystopian outcomes has become a challenge in itself.

Even so, most of these better-future dreamers ignore an urgent present - perhaps because it’s less engaging on social media or an unsexy subject. We are rapidly becoming a middle-aged planet. Practically all Western countries and several BRICS nations, including Brazil, are close to hitting a median age of 40. The US, even while attracting younger immigrants, is at 38.5. The European Union was already at 44.5 in 2023. China is at 39.

In consumer goods marketing, with a few exceptions like O Boticário, the focus seems more on chasing this week’s trend or reverse-engineering the success of the Labubus than on adapting strategy to what may be the most significant demographic shift in Brazil’s history.

Over the next 15 years, our 60+ population will jump from 16% to 28%, while every younger age group will shrink in share - except for the 40-59, block, who will stay above a quarter of the population (26.2% today, the largest Census segment). Guess where the weight of responsibility will land? On a life stage defined by heavy obligations and by being, statistically, the least happy and satisfied period of life - even when controlling for gender, culture, and income. What those numbers don’t immediately show is that this group will make up most of the economically active population (60% aged 45+ by 2040, IPEA) - something that should already be driving a sweeping strategic rethink, internally and externally, in many companies.

Middle Age: The Middle Child of Life Stages

Unlike generational labels - built on arbitrary cut-offs, tied to American events, and lacking any scientific validation and basically a marketer’s horoscope - middle age actually exists. It has clearly defined characteristics studied in psychology, biology, and medicine, and appears as a distinct life stage, often marked by rites and symbols, in many cultures. The exact age range varies for genetic, environmental, and social reasons, but the concept is universal.

Many simplistically call this group the “sandwich generation,” as many are juggling care for dependent children and elderly parents. That’s partly true, but incomplete. As the number of people caring for elderly relatives soars, we’ve also never had so many childless couples, people living alone, and so few multigenerational households in Brazil.

Perhaps the more relevant “sandwiching” is this life stage squeezed between society’s obsession with youth and its legitimate concern about aging populations - not only because the challenges (and opportunities) are many, but because they currently head 40% of Brazilian households and hold the largest share of income, not just in Brazil but in much of the world.

If a core part of a marketer’s or entrepreneur’s job is to find underserved markets and unmet needs, what explains why a segment with this much scale, influence, purchasing power, and poorly addressed pain points gets so little strategic focus?

Judgments, Stigmas, and a Future That Depends on Them

We have abundant scientific, cultural, and behavioral evidence that middle age today looks nothing like the outdated image still entrenched in our collective imagination. Yet a vision steeped in imported clichés, stereotypes, and prejudice still dominates.

The prevailing narratives mask this marginalization under platitudes treated as insights - like “we all want to be young” - when the data increasingly shows that what this group really wants is not to be treated as second-class citizens for half their lives. It’s not that youth is inherently better - it’s that middle age is almost always portrayed as decadent, frustrated, undesirable, subordinate, or, in some portrayals, even morally suspect. Who benefits from that?

As long as we keep treating middle age as “b grade meat” - both in the consumer market and in the workplace - despite its multiple layers of importance and opportunity, and despite the fact that much of our collective future depends on this group navigating challenges like employability, preventive health, and the looming risk of pension and healthcare system breakdown, much of the world will continue to outpace us. Other countries have already advanced further in both public policy and market initiatives - and we have the privilege of being able to learn from both their successes and their failures.

I explored this topic in (much) more detail at Hacktown, with a full presentation including national and international references in business, public policy, and a deeper look at why this subject gets so little attention - if this is a topic that interests you, or if your brand is looking for white-space opportunities, you know where to find me. As always, thanks for reading to the end - see you in the next edition.