Mandatory retirement age

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A mandatory retirement age is the age at which persons who hold certain jobs or offices are required by statute to step down, or retire.

Typically, mandatory retirement ages are justified by the argument that certain occupations are either too dangerous (military personnel) or require high levels of physical and mental skill (airline pilots). However, since the age at which retirement is mandated is often somewhat arbitrary and not based upon an actual physical evaluation of an individual person, many view the practice as a form of age discrimination, or ageism.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Paul VI introduced a mandatory retirement age of 70 for priests and 75 for bishops and archbishops; there is no mandatory retirement age for the pope, though cardinals cease having a vote in the College of Cardinals at age 80.