According to society, there are certain “life goals” that an individual should achieve each time they hit a birthday that ends in a zero.

By 20, we should have started a lifelong career path. At 30, we should own a home. Come 40, we should probably be married and maybe have a child. And by 50, well, you should have all your shit sorted.

Of course, this is all bullshit – they are just outdated, problematic cultural pressures still prevalent in 2020. But a lot of us can hold our hands up and admit to feeling like we’ve failed if we don’t quite jump each hurdle.

Sue Perkins on her “midlife crisis” says a lot about societal pressures