Focus on GenderNEW YORK, NY (United Nations Population Fund), April 7, 2008:
For multiple reasons the feminization of ageing has important policy implications for all countries:
• Ageing women make up a significant proportion of the world's population and their numbers are growing. The number of women age 60 and over will increase from about 336 million in 2000 to just over 1 billion in 2050. Women outnumber men in older age groups and this imbalance increases with age. Worldwide, there are some 123 women for every 100 men aged 60 and over.
• While the highest proportions of older women are in developed countries, the majority live in developing countries, where population ageing is occurring at a rapid pace.
• The fastest growing group within ageing women is the oldest-old (age 80-plus). Worldwide, by age 80 and over, there are 189 women for every 100 men. By age 100 and over, the gap reaches 385 women for every 100 men.6 While most ageing women remain relatively healthy and independent until late in life, the very old most often require chronic care and help with day-to-day activities.
• Older women are a highly diverse group. Life at age 60 is obviously very different from life at age 85. Although cohorts of older women may experience some common situations, such as a shared political environment, exposure to war and the arrival of new technologies, their longevity has given them more time to develop unique biographies based on a lifetime of experiences.
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity.
This Framework for Action addresses the health status and factors that influence women's health at midlife and older ages with a focus on gender. It provides guidance on how policy-makers, practitioners, nongovernmental organizations and civil society can improve the health and wellbeing of ageing women by simultaneously applying both a gender and an ageing lens in their policies, programmes and practices, as well as in research.
Author: WHO, UNFPA
No. of pages: 60
For more information: http://www.unfpa.org
