Aging: A Gendered Policy Concern in the South and the North

Abstract

In the coming decades, governments and policy makers in the South and the North will increasingly have to address problems relating to the process of societal aging. This article argues for developing a gendered perspective on this demographic transition, which is going to involve substantial change in intergenerational relations and the addition of people over the age of 60 virtually all over the world. After a brief discussion on industrialized societies, the focus of this paper turns to countries in the South. For several reasons, women—especially older ones—combine characteristics that warrant closer scrutiny. In many societies women are often the major family caretakers of the elderly. But, when they themselves become old, they tend to confront the consequences of limited access to economic and social resources, provided by the state, family, or community. This article concludes by outlining a tentative framework for evolving indicators to analyze and enhance our understanding of the process of societal aging and its polity implications.