Aging & Social Change: Tenth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

This paper offers a comparative analysis between disease and disability burden of men and women in old age against relative deprivations of women in nutrition, healthcare, education etc. in childhood and adult ages, taking India as a case. The data are drawn from censuses and large scale surveys. Study variables are identified through a correlation analysis between variables depicting disease and disability burden in old age and access to necessities of life in childhood. The reference period of the study is last three decades. The variable chosen for studying the old age disabilities are: blindness, locomotion, amnesia, hearing and speech impairment. For studying the morbidity pattern, prevalence of pain in joints, tuberculosis, cough, blood pressure and heart problems are considered. Levels of nutrition, immunisation coverage, access to health care and primary education are chosen to depict access to necessities of life in childhood. For quality of life in adult ages: domestic violence against women, proportion of men and women employed in organised sector, access to health care services, and household income/assets are considered. Though significant differences between men and women access to means of quality life in childhood and adult ages were noted, multiple regression analysis between variables depicting disease and disability burden in old age and deprivation in quality life in earlier ages, yielded low R squared. Not only women were living longer, their health status was also at par with men.