Abstract
BackgroundHousehold headship with decision-making power may have a positive influence on life satisfaction in older adults. This study examines the associations of several types of household headship with life satisfaction among older adults in India.MethodThe study utilized the data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (2017–18). The effective sample size for the study was 31,464 adults aged 60 years or older. Ordered logistic regression model was employed to find the association of life satisfaction with household headship status after adjusting for selected socioeconomic and demographic factors.ResultsIt was found that about 1.3% of older male and 1.5% of older females had nominal headship status in their household. Higher percentage of older males (42%) and females (48.3%) who had nominal headship status had low life satisfaction. In multivariable analysis, older adults who practiced nominal headship had significantly higher odds of low life satisfaction in reference to older adults who practiced functional headship [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.87; confidence interval (CI): 1.45,2.42]. Interaction model reveals that older men who practised nominal headship had significantly higher odds of low life satisfaction in reference to older men who practised functional headship [AOR: 2.34; CI: 1.59,3.45]. Similarly, older women who practised nominal headship had 55% significantly higher likelihood to have low life satisfaction in reference to older men who practised functional headship [AOR: 1.55; CI: 1.09, 2.18].ConclusionThe recognition of older individuals as active agents of the households they belong to, and giving them the value they deserve may help boosting their mental well-being. As a direct driver of subjective well-being, headship status and decision making power deserve a more prominent role and future studies are required on the mechanisms of functional and nominal headship statuses that have impact on successful aging.
Highlights
Household headship with decision-making power may have a positive influence on life satisfaction in older adults
Interaction model reveals that older men who practised nominal headship had significantly higher odds of low life satisfaction in reference to older men who practised functional headship [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.34; confidence interval (CI): 1.59,3.45]
As a direct driver of subjective well-being, headship status and decision making power deserve a more prominent role and future studies are required on the mechanisms of functional and nominal headship statuses that have impact on successful aging
Summary
Household headship with decision-making power may have a positive influence on life satisfaction in older adults. Our findings suggest that household headship without decision making power is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction This further supports the findings of past research that demonstrated that participation or commitment to a greater number of productive activities would be positively related to subjective well-being [11]. Interaction analysis shows that older male participants had a stronger association of nominal household headship (headship with no decision making role) with expressing lower life satisfaction. In the case of decision-making power with neither of the headship statuses, women had higher odds of low life satisfaction associated with no decision making power compared to their male counterparts This may be attributed to the reaction of older women to their subordinate roles in the household decision making. Since there may be gender bias in decision making power in a household for example, older wives may have significant role in household decision making than their husbands, future research should analyze dyadic/household data to examine the gender balance of decision-making power
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
