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FORT SMITH, Ark. — The chimes of change are ringing in one local store.
A study released by a scholarly journal said more women are working and they're working longer. Close to 30 percent of women aged 65 and up are employed. That's almost a 15 percent increase from 30 years ago.
"I think because I'm doing something that I love to do. I've always loved antiques and old things," said Joan Sloat, the owner of Now and Then Shoppe, an antique store in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Sloat is not alone. The study says high levels of female employment early in life are predictive of working longer at older ages.
"This year will be 34 years. It doesn't seem that long. There's been so many changes."
Sloat was referring to changes to her store; but the study says changes to the female's working path began quietly — all the way back in the 1970s.
"The women know what they want to do and they're not afraid to do it," Sloat explained.
The women know what they want to do and they're not afraid to do it.
–Joan Sloat
According to the study, that's exactly right. Just a handful of years before Sloat's store opened is when women began to have more realistic expectations of their future employment. So they started making educational investments that could lead to more fulfilling careers. That might explain why so many are still working well into their 60s.
"A lot of them say I just came in to get my therapy today so I came in to see you."
It's therapy for her customers, and therapy for Sloat, too. She wants to stay in her store for a long time.
"As long as I can, yes," she confirmed.
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