The ageing of population is on the increase world over
in recent times. The gendered nature of
aging reveals that women tend to live longer than men. India’s elderly
population has already crossed 100 million marks during 2011. As per the census
2011, the total Indian population sex ratio is in favor of male population in
ratio 940:1000. Bur for elderly at
(60+) population it’s in favor of elderly women by1022:1000. Elderly population analysis shows that in upper age
groups, population of older women is increasing remarkably. At the age of 65,
70, 75 & 80 there are 1310, 1590, 1758 & 1980 elderly women
respectively per 1000 elderly men. But along with longevity of senior women,
their problems have multiplied.
Good health, economic and social
security and adequate housing are essential requirements of aging with dignity,
but older women in both developed and developing countries face difficulties in
accessing these on a basis of equality with men. Both men and women face
discrimination due to old age, but women face special problems in old age due
to their dependency on men from childhood till death .Their economic dependency
on men render them as useless and as burden in old age. In addition, widowhood,
divorce, lack of care- givers for older women, post menopausal difficulties and
absence of geriatric medicine and health care are other grounds of
discrimination that prohibit older women from enjoying their human rights.
Older women in prison, older sex workers and older disabled women face severe
neglect and abuse as they age
Problems
of older women
·
Most of
the women do not own property and even when they own it they do not manage it. Their
ownership of, or access to, land may be restricted due to discriminatory
inheritance laws and practices, they would have been prevented from higher
education and employment with decent salaries in their younger age and thus made to live economic
dependency on men i.e. , on fathers during
younger days , on husbands after
marriage and on sons in old age. Hence left penniless in old age.
·
Common health problems affecting elderly women
are-, arthritis, osteoporosis and hypertension, cervical and breast cancer, anemia,
and most of all depression. The rich educated women may be self-sufficient but
could be facing problems of emotional insecurity and physical vulnerability.
Even these women are often exposed to threats of crime and fraud by their own
relatives or children.9 The elderly women have to face so many
mental stresses like, unemployment
and marriage of their children,
family quarrels, loneliness of self, abuse by family members, property disputes
,bad relations with relatives etc.,
·
Older women, who are still living with their sons/daughters and
grand-children are also suffering from emotional alienation. Due to fast
changing socio-economic scenario of the country, fast paced modern life style
& rapid urbanization across the country younger generations hardy interact
with their elderly family members. Popularity of nuclear family system has
virtually crushed strong traditional bond between grand-children & grandmothers.
The rural aged women are in better position in this matter since; the joint
family system still survives to a certain extent.
·
Even if many older women have property/money, they cannot possibly
use the money or take financial decisions on their own. Social traditions don’t
allow them to use their ancestral property / money for their own welfare. They
may be rich or poor but, they always have to act according to others directives.
Since they are habitual of sacrificing their own interests for the good of
other family members throughout their life, in old age they don’t want to ask
for their share. At times, financial dependency causes mental stress to them.
·
Due
to negligence, lack of awareness, financial dependency and religious mindset of
women, older women often neglect the early symptoms of diseases and have to face acute medical problems
later. Most of their health problems
remain unnoticed, since their families fail to recognize them in time, thinking
they are common ailments in old age. Most of the elderly women do not want to
impose financial burden to their care takers and prefer to suffer in silence
than taking timely medical care. Besides, most of them believe more in divine
powers instead of medical science and prefer to have home remedies till the
medical problem becomes serious.
·
Due to migration of their children to other cities or counties
most of the aged live alone. Among them, the widows are the mostly emotionally
deprived lot. It is because, the mothers have always been emotionally attached
to their children and suddenly, when
they are faced with migration of their children to far nations and that too
permanently, they are highly distressed
and develop certain health problems like higher blood pressure due to
constant worries over the separation and
the compelling need to live alone .
·
Many single women seniors
find it difficult to management of financial matters , domestic servants, service
providers , food and house hold management and their health issues , because they have never been trained by their late husband’s in these
matters . All these responsibilities make them
emotionally insecure and illnesses
aggravate this situation and plunge them into deep depression
·
Indian women have always been introvert by nature, that’s why they
are vulnerable and soft target of wrong doers. Majority of cases of Human Rights violation
are due to poverty of older women. Older women have to face age related discrimination,
mistreatment, harassment and elder abuse in their life due to disharmony with
daughter or son in laws disconnect with grand children. This seems to be an international problem.
These women do not have awareness about the human rights of elders and even if
they know, they have no idea about supporting groups. They just tolerate abuse
due to poverty of their care takers and turn towards religious activities,
pilgrimage, etc. When men in poor
families migrate to urban areas in search of jobs they leave their aged elders
in villages under the care of their relatives and most of them are neglected
during their sickness and die eventually.
·
Quite a number of middle and higher class
women with financial independence due to decent pension or savings in their
names prefer to live alone since, they think privacy, independence and
dignified living are more important
than security. In metropolitan cities they become exposed to strangers who are
often service providers and greedy relatives and become easy targets to
thieves. Often they become victims to dangerous situations and even lose their
lives if enough security arrangements have not been made.
Thus, the Major Concerns of older Women are emotional
insecurity, destitution/alienation / isolation, social insecurity, financial
insecurity, medical and health care problems and threat to life.
Measures
taken to help aged women
The United Nations General
Assembly adopted a set of principles for aging women at its 46th
session. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women is a landmark tool for setting out global normative standards of
gender equality.CEDAW is a living instrument to protect the human rights of
older women as it is mandated to eliminate discrimination against women
throughout their lifespan
The government of India has been implementing
several schemes/programmes for the welfare of women including widows, such as
Swadhar and Short Stay Homes, Support for Training and Employment Programme, India
Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme etc. The National Social Assistance
Programme (NSAP) for the poor households and represents a significant step
towards the fulfillment of the Directive Principles enshrined in article 41 and
42 of the constitution of India, . Government should collect statistical data
disaggregated by sex and age on the situation of aging women, with special
focus on poverty, illiteracy, violence against women, health and housing
related issues, care givers for people affected by HIV and AIDS, migrant women,
rural women, women living in areas of conflicts, women belonging to minorities,
and disabled women. Thus, the researchers, the academicians, the NGOs and the
media can play a pivotal role in sensitizing the people that care of the aging persons
is not the sole duty of the sons but also the daughters are liable to look
after them. The media and the senior citizens forums must take earnest efforts to make the young
people in schools, colleges and universities aware that the patriarchal society
must be changed. The laws concurrent responsibility of the central and state
government in the matter.
But, the senior
women themselves should learn how to use their supporting groups like relatives,
friends and neighbors for safe living. They should learn the tactics of healthy
aging. They never should succumb to self pity and become emotionally drained. They
should take proper care of their physical, mental, emotional and psychological
well being so that, they do not fall sick often and become burden to their care
takers.
