13.07.2015 Views

Human Development in India - NCAER

Human Development in India - NCAER

Human Development in India - NCAER

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

well-be<strong>in</strong>g of the older population 145Figure 9.4 Widowhood by Age for Men and Women Aged 60 and OlderSource: IHDS 2004–5 data.Figure 9.5Source: IHDS 2004–5 data.Relationship with Household Head for ElderlyMen and Women (<strong>in</strong> per cent)widows with young children, or liv<strong>in</strong>g alone. Data from boththe <strong>India</strong> Census 2001 and the NFHS-II reveal that moreelderly women live alone than do elderly men <strong>in</strong> <strong>India</strong>.DISCUSSIONAs we noted at the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of this chapter, populationag<strong>in</strong>g has not been of great concern <strong>in</strong> <strong>India</strong> because asusta<strong>in</strong>ed rate of population growth has ensured that eachsuccessive cohort is larger and, hence, the population isdom<strong>in</strong>ated by young people. However, as fertility falls andmortality among the older population cont<strong>in</strong>ues to decl<strong>in</strong>e,ag<strong>in</strong>g will become a larger challenge. Further, because ofdecl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g fertility, at least some elderly persons may not havea son to care for them <strong>in</strong> the old age. Given the reluctance toaccept help from daughters (which we document <strong>in</strong> Chapter10), population ag<strong>in</strong>g could <strong>in</strong>crease the vulnerability of theelderly without sons.F<strong>in</strong>ancial and social support of the elderly rema<strong>in</strong>, almostentirely, located with<strong>in</strong> the family, although many elderlypersons work. They also live with sons/brothers/nephews andother family members, who provide f<strong>in</strong>ancial and emotionalsupport. While <strong>in</strong> most areas, co-residence with daughtersis rare, it is often found <strong>in</strong> the North-East. Co-residence isparticularly common for the oldest (age 70+) or people whoown a considerable amount of land. As fertility decl<strong>in</strong>es andurbanization <strong>in</strong>creases, extended families may come underduress, and other sources of support for the elderly may needto be developed.HIGHLIGHTS• With 13 per cent elderly, Kerala has the highest proportion of elderly persons.• Labour force participation among men aged 60–9 is 72 per cent <strong>in</strong> rural areas and 43 per cent <strong>in</strong>urban areas.• Most elderly persons subsist on earn<strong>in</strong>gs from their own work or that of other family members. Only 17 per cent of<strong>India</strong>n elderly households receive government benefits of any type.• Extended family liv<strong>in</strong>g is the norm with about 77 per cent of the elderly liv<strong>in</strong>g with married children or otherfamily members.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!