How Being Childless Fueled My 50-Year Career Success: A 72-Year-Old's Unconventional Path

At 72, Gwen Rhys has no plans to retire, crediting her remarkable career achievements to a life without children. With over 50 years in the workforce, she's built a legacy that defies traditional expectations.

A Career Built on Independence

Gwen Rhys has been in the workforce since her twenties, establishing her own business in the 70s when it was uncommon for women to do so. She enjoyed a successful career in event speaking and agency management, serving as chief executive of an enterprise agency in Westminster and founding a networking agency for female entrepreneurs. Her work spanned multiple industries including banking, insurance, and accounting.

When asked about her success, Rhys attributes it directly to not being a mother. "That makes a difference. I have always worked. I don't have children or grandchildren, and that creates a different life for you really," she explains.

The Freedom from Age-Defining Milestones

Rhys recalls having Janet Street Porter as a speaker at an event, who also doesn't have children. "She said there's something about not being a mother that doesn't age-define you. I can understand that because everybody knows roughly how old you are by the fact you have children who are 10, 15, 25, or 35."

Growing up as an only child, Rhys developed an independent mindset early on. "I don't think I was spoiled but whatever portion of the cake there was came to me. A lot of my attitude and success is because I've never had to consider anyone else."

Navigating Workplace Dynamics

Rhys has always fought against gender disparities in the workplace. "I think school is a level playing field, college is a level playing field. Around the age of 30, men seem to push back and women are blindsided by that. Bring in the fact that women then have children and they end up worse off."

She notes that when she started working, she was among the first women expecting to have a lifelong career. "I didn't go to work with the intention that it'd only be a few years before I went off to have children."

The Failed Retirement Experiment

In 2021, after 18 years, Rhys shut down her organization Women in the City when pandemic disruptions cancelled various activities. She attempted retirement, spending months in a traditional stay-at-home role.

"I was actually looking forward to the break from work. I put a scrapbook together, I gave myself things to do, but I got really fed up. I'd had enough of being a 1950s housewife and cleaning the kitchen every morning, and preparing meals every night. I can see how 1950s women just went bananas."

Rhys has never lived that lifestyle, always having a cleaner and focusing on advancing her skills and career instead. Her mother, a teacher who returned to work full-time when Rhys was five, instilled in her that women can work as much as men.

Embracing Temporary Roles and Experience

Since her attempted retirement, Rhys has taken on many temporary roles, starting as a Community Engagement Officer for the census. She hasn't found it difficult to get work, even in her sixties and seventies, because of her extensive experience.

"I don't pretend that I'm young because I'm clearly not. I just say that I'm an experienced hire. I can get myself up and running quickly. If an organization wants somebody that can come in and knows how to operate at a senior level, I'm their person."

Maintaining Independence in Relationships

Rhys's independence extends to her personal life. She lived alone in London for 30 years, separately from her partner, and didn't marry until she was in her fifties. "That was available for me as somebody who wasn't a parent. I've known my husband a long time, but we lived separate lives with separate homes for a long time. It was really great."

They only moved in together in 2003, when Rhys was in her fifties, moving from London to Oxfordshire. She still maintains her independence, traveling to London regularly for work. "We live in a big house, so sometimes I never even see him. He's in another room somewhere and does his own thing. I go to social events on my own, I like doing that and I don't have to worry about him."

Mentoring the Next Generation

Rhys, currently working a maternity cover job in an events coordinating role, plans to never give up work but is hesitant to take on permanent roles that might block opportunities for younger people.

She's mentored many Gen Z-ers over the years and has found that despite media portrayals, many have a strong work ethic but lack opportunities. "There's a young guy I met working at Joe & the Juice and I feel so sorry for him. He graduated film school three years ago but he can't get a job. It means he's doing a very low-level job which is then blocking somebody who has no qualifications from doing that because he can't get something he wants."

She has observed that "Gen Z are fearful. They're fearful of people and as somebody who is very much a people person and will talk to anybody, I find that very sad. They should want to be around other people, you learn a lot from just being around people."

Health and Resilience

Throughout her life, Rhys has maintained excellent health. The first time she attended the hospital was in 2024 for routine eye surgery, and she has only been off work sick once, for two weeks in 1976 with the flu.

"I'm extraordinarily robust. I don't know whether that's because I worked for myself so I couldn't afford to be ill or because I worked for myself, I became robust. I am very positive. I tend not to believe that there are going to be any barriers."

She's always exercised, enjoying running and walking for long periods to stay physically fit. "I keep learning and challenging myself, I have a lot of energy and look after myself."

The Attitude of Success

Rhys does claim her state pension but continues working to top up her income and for the energy it gives her. "I went into a primary school recently and a little eight-year-old asked me if I'm the boss. I said I wasn't but I can understand why you think that. It's an attitude thing. I'm five foot tall but I think and act like I'm 10 foot."

She believes this attitude came from her very first job as a PA to a managing director. "I was used to working at the top from the very beginning and I inherited this attitude."

A Choice Without Judgment

As more young women choose not to have children, Rhys doesn't see this as negative. "For me, it was a choice thing but it might not have been. Nobody knows and nobody should ask. I don't ever talk about having or not having children, so people haven't really ever asked me. It's none of their business."