New Delhi: HelpAge India, an NGO for senior citizens, released its national 2023 survey report, “Women & Ageing: Invisible or Empowered?” on the eve of UN-recognized Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15). Carried out by Ipsos Research Private Limited, the survey was spread across the length and breadth of the country covering both rural and urban India. It covered 20 states, two UTs and five metro cities with a sample size of 7911.
The report revealed an alarming trend regarding abuse against elderly women, which seemed to be on the rise at a disturbing 16%. For the first-time physical violence came out as the top form of abuse with 50% of those abused experiencing it, followed by disrespect (46%) and emotional and psychological abuse (40%).
The main perpetrators of abuse were the sons (40%), followed by other relatives (31%) which is troubling, as it denotes that the abuse extends beyond the immediate family circle, this was followed by the daughter-in-law (27%). Despite facing the abuse most older women did not report it due to 'fear of retaliation or further abuse' (18%) being the top reason, followed by 16% who seemed to have no awareness of available resources, while 13% think their concerns would not be taken seriously.
"The HelpAge report highlights the 'unpreparedness and dependency' of older women starkly with high illiteracy levels, low financial security, lack of awareness of redressal mechanisms and schemes beneficial for them, and lack of employment opportunities and medical cover, leaving them open and vulnerable to abuse," said Anupama Datta, Head – Policy & Research, HelpAge India.
About 56% of older women lacked awareness of redressal mechanisms available for abuse, with only 15% being aware of the Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act and 78% of older women not aware of any government welfare schemes. Their social status only further added to their woes with 18% of older women stating to have faced discrimination due to their gender, and 64% faced social discrimination due to their marital status i.e. widowed.
On the economic front, 53% of older women do not feel financially secure. Of the 47% who ‘do’ feel secure, 79% are dependent on their children for finances. 66% of older women in India don’t own any assets, and 75% of older women do not have any savings. A significant 48% of older women have at least one chronic condition, yet 64% of them have reported not having any health insurance.
67% of elderly women still undertake caregiving roles in their families, while 36% of older women are not able to manage the burden of caregiving. Whereas, 47% of the older women who are working, said that they do not find their environment at home friendly towards work, while 36% of them who are working, say the same for their environment at their workplace. 43% of elderly women worry about getting physically harmed, with 76% saying it's due to ‘fear of falling’ and 46% stating due to weak eyesight.
“Females were at a social, economic and educational disadvantage from an early age. This impacted their lives in old age in unimaginable ways. They seldom make choices about their lives and despite all the good intent they remain secondary in almost all aspects of life," said Nilondra Tanya, North East Director of HelpAge India.
