Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Over half of the elderly women in India were never employed. Most of them live with their families. Half of them are illiterates. These are some of the findings of the latest report of HelpAge India about the state of women aged above 60 in the country.
The study, which was released on Wednesday, also showed that a little over half of those surveyed women (54 per cent) were married, while the remaining were widows, which further added to their emotional and physical abuse.
Fifty-two per cent of these women acknowledged elder abuse, of which 16 per cent said they faced physical abuse. Disrespect and emotional abuse are the second most common forms of ill-treatment. The HelpAge study ‘Women and Ageing: Invisible or Empowered’ is based on a survey of 7,500 older women in 20 states including Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Odisha; two Union Territories of Delhi and Chandigarh; and five metros including Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Most of the women surveyed felt that they were discriminated against because they were widows. Even higher numbers of them said they depended on others for crucial decisions, said the report. Failing health was a major issue with older women. Around half of them suffered from at least one chronic illness, but 64 per cent of them had no insurance coverage.
Putting the study in context, the report said that “between 2015 and 2030, the world’s elderly population (aged 60 and above) is set to increase by around 56 per cent. This would mean that the aged cohort will reach a strength of nearly 1.4 billion individuals, thus comprising almost 17 per cent of the global population.”
In the digital age, 24 per cent of elderly women said the time spent by their children with them was insufficient. The report said measures should be taken for the treatment of chronic illnesses of older women, and technology-based health solutions should be promoted. It said that abuse could be addressed through an extensive campaign.
“It is a stark reality that women, as they become older, tend to become neglected and are often invisible. Women aged above 60 comprise 11 per cent of the total women population in 2021 and it will become 14 per cent by 2031 (10 crore of 72 crore),” said Rohit Prasad, CEO, HelpAge India.
NEW DELHI: Over half of the elderly women in India were never employed. Most of them live with their families. Half of them are illiterates. These are some of the findings of the latest report of HelpAge India about the state of women aged above 60 in the country.
The study, which was released on Wednesday, also showed that a little over half of those surveyed women (54 per cent) were married, while the remaining were widows, which further added to their emotional and physical abuse.
Fifty-two per cent of these women acknowledged elder abuse, of which 16 per cent said they faced physical abuse. Disrespect and emotional abuse are the second most common forms of ill-treatment.
The HelpAge study ‘Women and Ageing: Invisible or Empowered’ is based on a survey of 7,500 older women in 20 states including Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Odisha; two Union Territories of Delhi and Chandigarh; and five metros including Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Most of the women surveyed felt that they were discriminated against because they were widows. Even higher numbers of them said they depended on others for crucial decisions, said the report. Failing health was a major issue with older women. Around half of them suffered from at least one chronic illness, but 64 per cent of them had no insurance coverage.
Putting the study in context, the report said that “between 2015 and 2030, the world’s elderly population (aged 60 and above) is set to increase by around 56 per cent. This would mean that the aged cohort will reach a strength of nearly 1.4 billion individuals, thus comprising almost 17 per cent of the global population.”
In the digital age, 24 per cent of elderly women said the time spent by their children with them was insufficient. The report said measures should be taken for the treatment of chronic illnesses of older women, and technology-based health solutions should be promoted. It said that abuse could be addressed through an extensive campaign.
“It is a stark reality that women, as they become older, tend to become neglected and are often invisible. Women aged above 60 comprise 11 per cent of the total women population in 2021 and it will become 14 per cent by 2031 (10 crore of 72 crore),” said Rohit Prasad, CEO, HelpAge India.
