Women’s Rights Need Protection from Life Course Perspective in Asia

1. Women’s Rights Need Protection from Life Course Perspective in Asia Dr Mala Kapur Shankardass Associate Professor of Sociology, Maitreyi College, Univ. of Delhi, (South Campus), India Regional Representative for Asia of INPEA Managing Trustee: Development, Welfare & Research Foundation Email: mkshankardass@gmail.com

2. The gender & life course context • In recognizing the right to social protection for older women, need to pay attention to: - rates of morbidity and mortality differ in men and women, gender vulnerability. - available social support differs, decline in old age. - health risks & enhancement differs, less for women. - coping mechanisms differ, women have strength but no enabling conditions. - beliefs & psychosocial responses differ, women disadvantaged by environment.

3. Understanding the socioeconomic changes & its implications • While participation in outside work is empowering for women, it also contributes to the deterioration of their health status. • Changes in the macro-economic sphere can translate into greater constraints given the multiplicity of women’s roles. • Conflict over allocation of time has health implications for women in all ages.

4. Macro economic impacts • Most countries facing Fiscal austerity, which results in decline in food availability. • The decline in per capita monthly consumption of cereal along with price hike in cereals results in further reduction in consumption. • The nutritional impact of this on women is tremendous as is well known, spending more time to get cheap food, reducing number of meals, declining nutritional standards, etc which greatly impact old age health status.

5. Social Sector Impacts • Most countries are facing decline in overall allocation of funds for the social sector, which means reduced expenditure on rural development, education, medical & health services. • Cut in social sector services & provisions implies a greater burden on women responsible for provisioning of the family, be it child care, elder care, social care or health care.

6. Employment related Impacts • There is growing disinvestment in the public sector & reductions in public expenditure which implies reduction in employment in the organized public sector. • Negative impact on women is greater as public sector is the leading employer of women in the organized sector. • Opportunities in private sector increase: export oriented or traditional or service industries or tourism, but where skill requirement is minimal, remuneration low & retrenchment high, impact on women is known to be detrimental to health.

7. New Opportunities but their Limitations • Liberalization of credit facilities provide greater opportunities for women. • But rigid repayment schedules eliminate the micro-entrepreneurs among whom women representation is high. • Also limited personal mobility, inadequate collateral arrangements & illiteracy reduce the access to formal credit for women. • Basic issue is ensuring right to property for women for benefits to flow in.

8. Impact Work & Social status on Women’s Health • Declining & limited incomes along with intensified burden of work results in greater self exploitation of women to make ends meet. • Morbidity rates seem to increase with decreasing consumption and increasing work burden. • Social security and social protection low in gendered jobs.

9. Life course responses • User health care costs introduced in most countries delay medical care so as to minimize health costs, which impact on women more. • Gender gap in life expectancy has narrowed, sex ratios still adverse, compared to North thus calling for serious need of sensitivity to gender concerns in all age groups.

10. The current situation • Feminization of Ageing in Asia. • 75% older people live in rural areas. • Rural poverty is high. • Inefficient health security. • Inadequate social security. • Increased responsibilities but reduced income. • Work seldom quantified and monetized. • Lack of legal and governmental provisions to protect their rights.

11. Growing Concerns • % of widows is disproportionately higher than that of widowers, 65% older widows & 29% widowers. • The proportion of women physically immobile due to various health problems is higher than for men of the same age. • Older women report more psychological distress than males.

12. Women’s paid & unpaid work • Needs both recognition and remuneration. • It should remove the stigma of being ‘dependant’. • It could make enough difference to exit poverty or be near the border of poverty line. • It needs to be made visible to the policy makers. • It is a "development asset“. • It should be reconceptualized in terms of it value to polity, economy, society and family.

13. Rights based action: What needs to be done • Earmark funds for women under all major poverty alleviation programmes and the maintenance of gender & age disaggregated records of implementation of all poverty alleviation programmes. • Mandatory registration of all assets provided under government programmes (land, house, animals, production units) in women’s name or joint names of husband and wife.

14. Continuous action • Intensified focus on rights based and capacity-building interventions for women across the life span in all strategic sectors, health, agriculture, natural resource management, technology and legal awareness. • Revision of regulatory framework to allow women's access to credit & ensure household food security. • Improve budgets for affirmative action to improve gender & age relations.

15. Some Other Selected Recommendations • Promote research on the interrelationship between poverty, ageing and gender. • Conduct and record oral history reflecting the contributions of older women to society. • Design and implement policies that would provide minimal income and social safety nets based on living index for elderly in need, women and men alike.

16. Finally, a Request & THANK YOU for Listening • Become a voice for older women’s empowerment. • Encourage older women to form their own support groups and networks. • Create an enabling environment for older women to focus on their personal development, including new careers, participation in public life, politics and living a life of dignity at home and wherever desired. • Let women realize their rights.