If you are young you should be investing more than you save. As you get older you should move out of riskier investments and into low risk or no risk savings but ideally with interest if possible but good savings interest rates are hard to find compared to years ago.
I do not think that, old people can survive during their retirement period only with the bank interest at any point of time, they are mainly rely on pension schemes, but the smart move is that they would have done any sort of property investment in their young age itself or else it is hard for them to survive, I agree with your suggestion regards to investment during young stage, however according to me irrespective of age genders, investment is the best solution and it should be planned very well to choose their specific sectors prior to any investment.