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A/HRC/AC/4/CRP.1

4 December 2009

Human Rights Council

Advisory Committee

Fourth session

25–29 January 2010

                 

                The Necessity of a Human RightsApproach and EffectiveUnited Nations Mechanism forthe

                Human Rights of the OlderPerson

                 

Working paper prepared by Ms. Chinsung Chung, member of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee*

 

*              With the collaboration of Ms. Chanmi Kim. Special thanks to Bridget Sleap, Rights Policy Adviser at HelpAge International.

______________________________________________________________________

 

C. Ageing and Women: The Gender Perspective

21. Demographic figures have long indicated that women tend to outlive men by two to eight years. Since female life expectancy is greater than male life expectancy, the majority of the elderly are women. Among the elderly there are 82 men per 100 women. Among the oldest old, there are only 55 men for every 100 women. In the more developed regions, the ratio of women to men is even more dramatic due to larger differences in life expectancy. The ratio of men to women at older ages is lower in the more developed regions (72 men per 100 women) than in the less developed regions (88 men per 100 women).[1][1] In Japan, for instance, which already has 28 million elderly (22.7 per cent of the population), one in four women are aged 65 or over.[2][2]

22. Having more years added to their lives often places them in the category of the most vulnerable, however, due to patriarchal social constructs and historical gender based discrimination. Countless analyses of gender differences in economic support and well-being continue to highlight the globally disadvantaged position of older women.[3][3] Women are usually in a vulnerable position because of their reliance on family for financial and other support. Due to low levels of education, poor labour participation in the past, and lack of financial resources, many “older women today do not have their own source of income nor do they have any marketable skills to generate income … As long as the family continues to provide care and support, older women’s well-being is relatively assured, but without this support, the well-being of these women when they reach old age is of great concern.” For older women without family support, this means having no income or a low income, and ultimately a lack of access to adequate healthcare services.[4][4]

23. Women are therefore much more susceptible to poverty than men, and this gap more than doubles during the elderly years. In the U.S., for instance, 13 per cent of women over 75 years old are poor compared to 6 per cent of men.[5][5] This is especially true for older women, who suffer from multiple disadvantages resulting from biases to gender, widowhood, and old age. Women, particularly widows, who are without living sons or who live alone, are considered to be particularly at risk of economic destitution, social isolation, poor health, and death. The support system for older men and women differ. The older women’s dependency on their families will be higher than that of older men. Marital status is an important determinant of where older persons reside, their support system, and their individual well-being. If this association is broken, her access to resources for care and sustenance is reduced, making her vulnerable. This risk increases for women who have no assets for survival, such as education, possession, or social status. Women’s vulnerability is compounded by failing health, disability, and widowhood making elderly women the most defenceless.[6][6]

24. Furthermore, older women are also particularly more vulnerable to abuse and violence. Many older women are physically abused, either by their own children and daughters-in-law at home, or in institutional settings such as staff workers or male residents in care homes.[7][7] Research from Kenya shows a rise in the number of brutal killings of elderly persons, mostly women, accused of witchcraft. An estimated 42 older people were killed in three districts in 2008, and 23 elderly people were killed in three provinces in the first half of 2009 alone.[8][8]

25. Women also require special care. Elderly women, for instance, are more likely to suffer from depression and remain depressed for longer periods of time than men, according to a 2008 Yale study. The study found that up to 20 per cent of the elderly suffer from significant symptoms of depression — such as loss of appetite, sadness, or sleep problems — that require treatment. Older women suffer disproportionately more from depression, are more likely to become depressed, and less likely to recover from depression. The fact that women live longer with depression than men, “along with the higher likelihood of women becoming depressed and remaining depressed, collectively contribute to the higher burden of depression among older women.”[9][9] Women are also much more likely to be widowed: roughly 19 per cent of elderly women live alone, compared to 8 per cent of men.[10][10]






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       [2][2]         “One-in-four Japan women ‘elderly,” BBC News, 21 September 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
asia-pacific/8266677.stm.

       [3][3]         For example, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Erin Reidy, and John E. Knodel, “Gender Differences in Economic Support and Well-Being of Older Asians,” Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 19, 2004.

       [4][4]         International Federation on Aging and HelpAge International, The Rights of Older Persons in Asia, January 2009, http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2009/humanrightsasia.pdf.

       [5][5]         Alexandra Cawthorne, “The Straight Facts on Women in Poverty,” Center for American Progress, October 2008, http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/10/women_poverty.html.

       [6][6]         International Federation on Aging and HelpAge International, The Rights of Older Persons in Asia, January 2009, http://www.globalaging.org/elderrights/world/2009/humanrightsasia.pdf.

       [7][7]         HelpAge International, Why It’s Time for a Convention on the Rights of Older People, 2009.

       [8][8]         HelpAge Kenya and HelpAge International, Submission to the Kenyan Human Rights Council, 26 June 2009.

       [9][9]         Older Women More Susceptible to Depression Than Older Men,” Yale University Office of Public Affairs, February 2008, http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=1495.

       [10][10]     UN DESA, Population Division, Population Ageing 2006 Wall Chart.