Gender and Age: We need a female perspective on ageing populations

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A recent news story in a prominent US daily reported that a number of non-profits in Washington DC are distributing robotic pets to residents aged 60 and older in some areas of the city to ease their loneliness and isolation. While in the US, about 28% of people aged 65 and older live by themselves, the number in that age group is projected to increase to 82 million by 2050, which will be 23% of the total population.

As the world witnesses a profound demographic transformation with a steadily growing proportion of older people, in 2020, for the first time, the number of people aged 60 years and older surpassed the number of children under five. In Asia, Japan leads the way as the most aged society, with nearly 30% of its population over 65. China is likely to have over a quarter of its population over 60 by 2040.

In India the number of elderly persons is expected to increase by 56 million by 2031. Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2050, about 80% of older adults will live in low- and middle-income countries. Apart from affecting macroeconomic factors such as the labour force, physical and human capital, savings and consumption, an ageing population also poses serious challenges to a country’s healthcare system.

According to a 2022 study that used a multinational database from 2000 to 2019, the burden of caring for an elderly population negatively affects a country’s economic growth: every 1% increase in the healthcare burden was found to result in a 0.083% decrease in its GDP growth rate. According to WHO estimates, every fourth person across the world experiences social isolation. Over 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more