The Transcending Age: A Study of Psycho-social Wellbeing of Elderly Women in India (original) (raw)
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This article gives an overview of situation of elderly women in India. It emphasises significance of social networking in promoting wellbeing of elderly women. Even though both men and women are vulnerable to age related tribulations, severity of problems is more among elderly women. Paper throws light on the various factors associated with age that prevented her from maintaining social contacts, for e.g., change of social role in old age makes elderly women more vulnerable to social isolation and abuse. In India, even though the policy has been formulated to ensure the well being of elderly, how far it is successful in addressing the needs of elderly women remains unanswered. The final part of the paper discusses the proactive measures that need to be taken to empower the elderly women at various (individual, community and Government) levels.
Quality of Life Among the Aged in India: Anthropological Insights
Multidimensional approach to quality of life issues, Springer, 2019
The present study is an attempt to understand dimensions of life satisfaction and quality of life among the rural elderly. The data is collected from 160 elderly living in and around Naggar village situated in district Kullu of Himachal Pradesh. The results of the study reveal that elderly describe their life satisfaction in terms of financial self-sufficiency, social network and social support, religious disposition and satisfaction with their health conditions. It is suggested that a holistic all-inclusive policy must be drafted to address the life satisfaction and quality of life issues among the elderly in India especially the elderly women.
Older women in India: Issues and Concerns
Greying of population is one of the most significant characteristics of the twenty-first century. Despite substantial growth in proportion of both male and female elderly around the world, a strong preponderance of women has been established amongst 60 years and above in most of the countries. This phenomenon is called "Feminisation of ageing" which is currently dominant in developed nations but is picking up pace in developing countries. As per census 2001, in India there were 1021 elderly women per one thousand elderly men. Elderly women face numerous deprivations during their life course due to various socio cultural factors. Hence, feminisation of ageing brings with it various issues that require attention of researchers, academicians, social workers as well as policy makers. Given this backdrop, the main objective of this paper is to highlight the issues and concerns that emerge as a consequence of rapid feminisation of ageing in India. It is extremely important to understand these issues in order to initiate policy and programmatic interventions and improve the quality of life of elderly women. This paper is based on the review of studies conducted in India on elderly population in general and elderly women in particular. The review clearly suggests that elderly women are increasing in numbers and will continue to increase in coming future at a faster pace. This issue becomes further critical as feminization increases with increasing age, so we will have greater proportion of older women as the age increases. The review also reveals that elderly population is a heterogeneous group which is true with elderly women as well. The heterogeneity amongst elderly is marked by socio-demographic factors like age, place of residence, marital status, level of education, living arrangement, participation in work force during adulthood, access to economic resources etc. amongst others. These factors result in increased vulnerability of some groups of elderly due to marginalisation and deprivations as compared to others. Hence it is proposed that, programmes for senior citizens should evolve in response to these social, political, economic factors and most importantly should be gender sensitive owing to increased proportion of elderly women and acknowledging their vulnerability and special needs. WHO has proposed an "Active Ageing Framework" that can help policymakers in India to design programmes that can improve the overall quality of life of elderly women by focusing on three pillars i.e. Community Participation, Security and Health & well-being.
Physical and Psychological Health of Older Women in Urban India
Mumbai to understand health and well-being of 450 older women across three class groups: Poor, (N=150), Middle income group (N=150) and Well to do group (N=150). These respondents were interviewed and information about their socio-demographic, economic, health and healthcare practices and Quality of life was obtained by using WHOQOL-BREF (WHO Quality of life instrument) to assess the respondents' perception about their physical and psychological health and their satisfaction with general health. Bi-variate analysis and multivariate analysis was performed in the analysis of findings. From the findings, it can be concluded that older women from upper strata are more likely to suffer from lifestyle diseases and chronic diseases while older women from poorer strata are more likely to suffer from severe stress especially due to financial insecurities and work pressure. Factors like age; Marital status; Educational status; Living arrangement; experience of Abuse; Change in involvement in decision-making; Income; acute and chronic morbidity, their satisfaction with general health and Level of Stress have a significant influence on the physical health of older women. Significant class differentials were observed in all the facets of psychological state except facet of accepting their bodily appearance. Keywords: Health of older women, Quality of Life, Subjective well-being, Physical and Psychological Health, Older women in India
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDIA: AN OVERVIEW ON SOCIO-CULTURAL LIFE OF ELDERLY
Women and their socio-cultural life are an important concern nowadays. Empowerment is the process of becoming stronger, confident, and powerful. In the Indian patriarchal social structure, women are less powerful than men. Among women, elder women are more negligible and, in most cases, they are staying on the back foot. Their journey of life is fully accumulated by a bunch of experience and skills. Throughout life, a woman is playing and representing various social roles and statuses. She played the role of a daughter, a wife, a mother, and an elder. In her journey of life, she gathered enormous experiences and facing ups and downs. She has the experience to tackle the haphazard situations of life but when she is becoming older, somehow, she faces unexpected issues in their journey of life. Geriatric issues are a more concern-able issue because it is affecting her health and, in this regard, she needs more care and support. Apart from the geriatric issue, she is facing other issues such as lack of cooperation from the family members, economic insecurity, less important and inferior dignity, etc. Empowerment can be the best tool for solving many of those issues. So, my point is if older people becoming empowered, they can enjoy economic security, more active in decision making, and comparatively less worried regarding their health issues. Central and state governments are taking various initiatives to uplift their situation and making them economically stronger. But still, women are facing various problems and last three decades rapid growth of old age homes is indicating that society and traditional families failed to provide support and long-term care to elderly women. In this research paper, I want to explore the social images of elderly women in India. As well as I want to discover the hidden truth and limitation of government policies and programmes towards the elderly. Find out the reality and needs of old age homes in the present social structure. Objectives: Major objectives of my research are, To explore the social images of elderly women in India. To discover hidden truth and limitation of government policies and programmes towards the elderly. To execute reality and needs of old age home at the present social structure Methodology: In this pandemic situation to accomplish this research I used the content analysis method. On the other hand, for the sampling, I prefer convenience sampling which is best for me to assemble the research paper within time. Based on thirty sample sizes of recent research reports, news, journals, and articles I want to complete my research article.
Living Arrangements and Health Well Being among Elderly Women in India
Objectives: Elderly women suffer from multiple disadvantages resulting from biases to gender and widowhood. This study will pertain to understand the association between living arrangements and health well being among elderly women in India. Methods: The present study utilised data from Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS 2005). Both Bivariate and multivariate analysis have been applied in this study. Result: Eighty three percent of elderly women are living in joint families and three percent are living alone in India. The number of women living in a joint family is higher in urban (84%) than rural (82%) areas. Women’s age, marital status and economic status are found as significant determinants of their living arrangements as well as their health well being. High BP has the highest burden on health in India. Women who are living alone are likely to suffer with any short term and long term morbidity, than other categories of living arrangements. Conclusion: The elderly population, particularly women, are more likely to suffer with multiple health and psychological problems. There is an urgent need to pay greater attention to elderly women and to support holistic policies and programs for ensuring their health well being and social security.
Aging and well-being in Goa, India: a qualitative study
Aging & mental health, 2016
The population of India is aging rapidly. This demographic shift brings with it a host of challenges to the health and well-being of older adults, including the increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases, among them depressive disorders. In this paper, we report on qualitative research intended to inform the development of a locally acceptable and appropriate intervention to improve the well-being of older adults in Goa, India and, specifically, to prevent late-life depression. Semi-structured interviews with 20 individuals, aged 60 years and older, attending two primary care clinics in Goa, India. Transcripts were reviewed to identify emerging themes, a coding scheme was developed and thematic analyses were conducted. Analyses of the interview transcripts revealed the following key themes: (1) notions of old age tended to be negative and there were widespread fears of becoming widowed or incapacitated; (2) the most frequently reported health conditions were joint pain, diabe...
A study of older women's lives in India beyond four walls
Springer link, 2024
This paper conducts a comparative and exploratory study on altruistic and pay-to-stay care systems, exploring the intersection of tradition and contemporary society. The research delves into the underlying mechanisms of both care systems, shedding light on the daily lives, challenges, and vulnerabilities of older women residing in care homes. Emphasising the state's and market's evolving role in the older care system, the study highlights the relatively recent market invasion. Employing an exploratory and descriptive research design, the sample comprises fifty-six women aged 60 and above in Lucknow city's (Uttar Pradesh, India) care homes. Given the heterogeneity among women in care homes regarding social and moral values, the study utilises multi-stage random, stratified, and purposive sampling techniques as needed for the analysis. Data had been gathered from two care homes-one not charging residents and another a paid facility catering to lower-middle and middle-income groups. The researcher spent a year and a half working in these homes, conducting interviews with all respondents. The paper uncovers distinctions in care homes based not only on altruism and pay-to-stay but also on caste and class dynamics, contributing to social inequality and limiting social mobility. The stratification of the State and market results in varying quality of life for older women. While the market holds potential for innovation and improved service quality, economically dependent women often defer this choice to their family members. Socioeconomic status significantly influences the decision to lead a dignified life, with some women reluctantly relying on the state for survival after being abandoned by their families, leaving them hapless and hopeless.
Aging and the Socioeconomic Life of Older Adults in India
SAGE Open
The study attempts to approach aging in India from three perspectives, namely, the well-being of an aging individual, the aging household, and the aging population. The aspects, namely, work, financial dependence, integration, empowerment, and elder abuse are studied and their relation to age, gender, and marital status is investigated. The data sets pertaining to the National Sample Surveys for the reference periods 1986-1987, 1995-1996, and 2004 are primarily utilized for the purpose. The data sets from Building Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India Survey, 2011, are also utilized for information on elder abuse. The results show that the older males are more likely to participate in household activities when compared with the older females. The married older adults are also more likely to participate in household activities when compared with their widowed counterparts. In a similar way, gender and marital status are found to be associated with empowerment of older adults. ...
The study examines the correlates of change in living arrangements and the association of such changes with subjective well-being among older adults by assessing a nationally representative survey in India. The study utilized the data from the 'Building Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India'. The effective sample size for the analysis after removing missing cases and outliers was 9231 older adults. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis along with multivariate analysis were performed to find out the results. About 3.8% of older adults changed their living arrangements after turning 60 years old. Among them, 33.2% stated that the marriage of their children was the major reason for their change in living arrangement after turning old followed by the death of spouse/children (19.5%) and family conflict (14.3%). Older adults who changed living arrangements were 65% significantly more likely to report low subjective well-being than older adults who did not change their living arrangements after turning old [OR:1.65; CI: 1.26-2.16]. The study found a higher likelihood of transition in living arrangements of older adults who were more vulnerable. The change made in living arrangements in late life that is associated with low subjective well-being among older adults indicates a need for developing an appropriate home environment for older adults where they can find life satisfaction and self-esteem and live the rest of their life in happiness.