Manuscript Number : GISRRJ24736

Issues and Concerns of Elderly Women in India: A Sociological Analysis

Authors(2) :-Manish K. Verma, Km Manisha

One of the most important features of the twenty-first century is the greying of the population. In most nations, there is a clear female preponderance among those 60 years of age and older, even if the proportion of elderly men and women has grown significantly worldwide. 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 2011, the elderly female population was as high as 9 percent in comparison to the elderly male counterparts which was marginally lower with 8.2 percent. Because of a variety of socio-cultural conditions, elderly women experience numerous forms of deprivation throughout their lives. Therefore, the feminization of ageing raises a number of challenges that need to be addressed by academics, researchers, social workers, and policymakers. Given this context, the primary objective of this study is to draw attention to the issues and concerns that arise from India's fast feminization of ageing. To improve the quality of life for older women and to start policy and programmatic measures, it is crucial to comprehend these concerns. This paper reviews Indian studies on the old population in general and on women in particular. According to the analysis, the number of old women is growing and is expected to do so at a greater rate in the near future. We will see a higher percentage of older women as we age because feminization rises with age, making this issue even more critical. 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 elderly people 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.

Authors and Affiliations

Manish K. Verma
Dean, Ambedkar School of Social Sciences & Professor, Department of Sociology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India
Km Manisha
Doctoral Research Scholar at the Department of Sociology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India

Ageing, Feminisation of Ageing, Elderly Women, Living Arrangements.

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Publication Details

Published in : Volume 7 | Issue 3 | May-June 2024
Date of Publication : 2024-05-30
License:  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Page(s) : 31-38
Manuscript Number : GISRRJ24736
Publisher : Technoscience Academy

ISSN : 2582-0095

Cite This Article :

Manish K. Verma, Km Manisha, "Issues and Concerns of Elderly Women in India: A Sociological Analysis", Gyanshauryam, International Scientific Refereed Research Journal (GISRRJ), ISSN : 2582-0095, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp.31-38, May-June.2024
URL : https://gisrrj.com/GISRRJ24736

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