In December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons (resolution 45/106). Since then, the day has been celebrated every year.
This year’s overall theme was ‘The Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World’. In addition, a complementary theme also in focus was ‘The Resilience and Contribution of Older Women’.
The three objectives of this year’s theme highlighted the resilience of older women in the face of environmental, social, economic and lifelong inequalities; raised awareness on the importance of improved worldwide data collection, disaggregated by age and gender; and called on member states, United Nations entities, United Nations Women and civil society to include older women in all policies and ensuring gender equality.
The resilience and contributions of older persons
Every country in the world is experiencing an ageing population. This is one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century, affecting nearly all areas of society, including labour and financial markets, housing, demand for goods and services, transportation and social protection, as well as family structures and intergenerational ties.
The population in the European Union is also living longer and in better health. Since 1960, life expectancy has climbed by eight years, and demographic projections foresee a further five-year increase over the next 30 years – a historic achievement. However, with low birth rates, it also means that Europe is ageing fast. By 2060, there will be only two people of working age (15 to 64) in the EU for every person aged over 65 years.
In this context, many perceive ageing as a threat instead of one of the greatest achievements. Older persons are seen as a burden on the working-age population. These fears neglect, however, the fact that a growing number of older persons are in good health, have valuable skills and experience, and are willing to make a significant contribution to society. Moreover, we should not forget that older persons have always managed to successfully navigate the countless number of global challenges – socioeconomic issues, an increasing number of conflicts and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN says the COVID-19 pandemic has, in fact, exacerbated existing inequalities. The past three years have intensified the impact of socioeconomic, environmental, health and climate-related woes on the lives of older persons, especially older women, who constitute the majority of older persons.
As UN independent expert Claudia Mahler said: “The cumulative disadvantages of lower labour force participation, the gender pay gap, interrupted employment patterns due to caregiving and higher prevalence of part-time and informal work means that older women often receive lower or no pensions.”
In times of crises, older women become more vulnerable to abuse and neglect
More often, in times of crises, older women become more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. However, despite such disadvantages, they often continue to provide intergenerational support and caregiving. Older women are the unsung heroes, embodying often unseen resilience in living through and responding to global challenges, while also experiencing and managing the physical and emotional disruption due to losses of family, income and social connectedness.
Moreover, although older women continue to contribute meaningfully to their political, civic, economic, social and cultural lives, their contributions and experiences remain largely invisible and disregarded due to gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout their life.
It is imperative that the vital contributions of older women are recognised and their perspectives and needs are included when drafting policies. The accumulated impact of barriers, burdens and hardships over the course of life that older women face, and hence make their ageing experience different, should be addressed. Rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all approach, strategies, policies and innovative solutions should continually be adjusted according to the local realities. There is no system that cannot be improved.
The way forward
Globally, the UN has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing. It builds on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and calls on governments, civil society, international organisations, professionals, academia, the media and non-governmental organisations to improve the lives of older persons, their families and communities.
Basically, it encourages every sector to work together, not in silos. Since women live 4.8 years more than men on average, the majority of older persons are women. In this scenario, it is imperative that women lead healthy, meaningful and independent older years so that they can continue to actively contribute to socioeconomic development.
To do so, society must invest in a lifecycle approach with gender equality at its core. This means investing in every stage of a woman’s life, from her childhood, adolescence, reproductive age, into older years, so that women can age with good health, dignity, skills and the decision-making power to be able to contribute to society at her fullest potential.
Society should also listen to the voices of all older persons, particularly older women and acknowledge their wisdom, knowledge and experience. Older women have the right to be seen and listened to. They have the right to participate in priority setting and decision-making about topics that matter to them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to close existing policies, systems and services gaps. A decade of coordinated global action on healthy ageing is urgently needed to ensure that older persons, particularly older women, can fulfil their potential with dignity and equality in a healthy environment, and their resilience and contributions should be acknowledged and celebrated.
Rosette Farrugia-Bonello is deputy director at the International Institute on Ageing United Nations-Malta (INIA), a visiting lecturer at the Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies, Faculty for Social Well-being, University of Malta, and international secretary of the Maltese Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (MAGG).