PENANG, Malaysia (The Star), October 21, 2007: FEMINISATION of old age is a global phenomenon as more women survive into late life compared to men. More than two-thirds of the world’s oldest (85+) population are women (United Nations, 2006).
The world’s record for the oldest person ever is held by Jeanne Calment (1875 - 1997), a French woman. The top 10 oldest people currently living are all women. Feminisation of old age is not an exception but the norm for most developed and developing countries, including Malaysia.
According to the Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 1.73 million or 6.6% of the nation’s population in 2005 is made up of older persons aged 60 years or over.
Older women are most vulnerable to changes in family values in an era of rapid modernisation, urbanisation and globalisation. – AP By 2020, this figure is expected to rise to 3.44 million, making up 9.9% of the total population. As recorded in past national censuses, the proportion of older women is rising steadily – from 48.1% in 1970 to 52.3% in 2000. In 2005, nearly 0.9 million or slightly over half (52%) of the aged population are women.
The national average life expectancy at birth has also increased from 66.4 years in 1980 to 70.2 years in 2000. Life expectancy at birth for Malaysians in 2005 is 70.6 years for males and 76.4 years for females. On average, women live nearly six years longer than men (Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2005).
Characteristics of the older Malaysian woman
It must be noted that the older Malaysian woman is a diverse and heterogeneous group. Unfortunately, lost opportunities in a lifetime of gender inequality mean that a majority of the present cohort of older women are in a disadvantaged position.
Despite rapid improvements in educational attainment, 65% of older women in 2000 have never attended school, compared to 36.4% for older men.
The greatest contrast, however, is in marital status as 45.5% of older women are widowed while only 11.3% of older men are in a similar position.
The causes are both social and biological as women tend to live longer and are less likely to remarry. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the 2000 census showed that older women (9.0%) are twice more likely than older men (4.3%) to live alone.
In addition, a higher proportion of older women (54.1%) live in extended family households than older men (43.8%). Such living arrangements come into play after the death of the spouse for the older Malaysian woman (DOSM, 2005).
This indicates a strong dependency on the part of the female elderly on their adult children, even if there is an intergenerational exchange of support in the household.
It is evident that men and women have very different experiences across the life span. Despite enjoying a longer life expectancy, women in Malaysia who grew up in the 1940s and 50s are more likely to experience domestic violence and discrimination in access to education, income, food, meaningful work, healthcare, inheritance, social security measures and political power.
Older women today are also more likely to be poor and suffer disabilities in late life. The fact is, older women today were mostly engaged in domestic work when they were younger and performed traditional roles as caregivers and nurturers. There was little opportunity for involvement in the formal work sector (by design and educational limitations), and thus few older women have access to pension or other pillars of social security.
They are most vulnerable to changes in family values in an era of rapid modernisation, urbanisation and globalisation.
Ironically, the increasing number of younger women in the workforce and the reconfiguration of traditional care-giving roles mean that older women would not be able to assume that their daughters or daughters-in-law will take care of them in old age. – AP Past studies at the Malaysian Institute of Gerontology have shown that older women have fewer sources of income, depending largely on monetary contributions from their adult children, and they lack mobility as well.
Increased longevity can sometimes mean living longer with declining health and in disability. The risk of chronic diseases such as joint pain, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases – medical problems usually associated with wear and tear of the human body – increases with age.
Unless they have the resources to address these health problems, many older women tend to ignore the pain and discomfort as they are unable or could not afford to seek proper treatment.
Past surveys have shown that most older men expect their spouses to take care of them when they are ill, but only a few older women have similar expectations.
In contrast, older women needed their children to come through for them when they fell sick. The expectations differ when taking into account the fact that men have a higher probability of spending their old age with their spouse and family, while women are likelier to face those years alone. Older women have to depend on their children and other relatives for survival and support, especially those who are frail and infirm.
It would be erroneous to assume that older women are merely receivers of social support as they still perform many roles – as the family matriarch, custodian of family tradition, inheritance and properties, a source for advice and domestic help (which includes babysitting), as well as the focal point of intergenerational relations.
Implications of feminisation of old age
Given a lifetime of cumulative disadvantages, it is certainly challenging to be an older woman in Malaysia today. The situation will improve as women are making great strides in education, employment and gender equality, but it is a bit too late for the present cohort of older women.
Ironically, the increasing number of younger women in the workforce and the reconfiguration of traditional care-giving roles mean that older women would not be able to assume that their daughters or daughters-in-law will take care of them in old age.
Without meaningful choices and true alternatives, older women today do have not many options when it comes to their own well-being.
At this juncture, a needs-based approach to improve the welfare of older women will function better in restoring their social status, dignity, and well-being as members of the family, society and nation, in line with the general intention of the National Policy for the Elderly (NPE).
It is not only about setting-up age-friendly services and facilities, but also improving the delivery system to enable broader access to all members of society.
The feminisation of old age means that policy makers will have to consider the general situation and characteristics of its audience and respective stakeholders.
An obvious need that has to be addressed is nursing, palliative and end-of-life care for the increasing number of the old-old (75 to 84 years) and oldest-old (85+) cohort. Nevertheless, there has to be a distinction between short-term and long-term measures that correspond to changes with the times.
Women have a lot at stake in the future of a graying society as they will be a majority in the aged population. Since ageing societies are becoming increasingly and disproportionately female, governments have to recognise and address the issues surrounding women in later life.
While the advocacy of equal opportunities and employment can ensure the future generation of women against poverty, additional steps must be taken to address the present cohort of older women who have minimal means to support themselves.
This is where public policy comes to the fore in guiding social plans and mapping routes to help older women navigate their way through the graying landscape. Needs of the present must be addressed, but long term planning is also required to take into account current development and changes.
By The Star Health & Ageing Panel: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Assoc Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician; Dr Ng Soo Chin, consultant haematologist.
The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from this article.
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