Context:
With the Women’s Reservation Act expected to create the most gender-representative Parliament by 2029, there is growing emphasis on addressing elder care challenges faced by ageing women in India.
Key Highlights:
Women’s Reservation and Political Representation
• The Women’s Reservation Act reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women.
• It aims to significantly improve women’s political representation by 2029.
Ageing Population in India
• India currently has over 100 million citizens aged above 60.
• The elderly population is projected to exceed 250 million by 2040.
Health Challenges for Elderly Women
• A 2023 study estimated 8.8 million Indians above 60 suffer from dementia.
• The number is expected to double by 2036.
• Women face higher vulnerability due to longer life expectancy and weaker financial security.
State-Level Initiatives
• In January 2026, Maharashtra launched menopause clinics in 580 government facilities.
• Over 31,000 women accessed services within five weeks, indicating strong demand.
Policy Gaps in Elder Care
• India lacks a comprehensive gender-sensitive elder care policy.
• Existing frameworks focus primarily on poverty and health but not gender-specific vulnerabilities.
Stakeholders
• Central and State Governments
• Political parties and legislators
• Public health institutions
• Women’s rights organizations
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Women’s Reservation Act (2023)
- Provides 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
- Implementation linked to delimitation and census processes.
- National Policy for Older Persons (1999)
- Aims to ensure financial security, healthcare, and welfare of elderly citizens.
- Promotes family-based care and social security measures.
- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS)
- Part of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).
- Provides monthly pensions to elderly persons below the poverty line.
- Dementia
- A neurodegenerative condition affecting memory, cognition, and daily functioning.
- Common forms include Alzheimer’s disease.
- Demographic Ageing
- Increase in the proportion of elderly population due to declining fertility and rising life expectancy.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Gender Dimension of Ageing
- Women often face lower lifetime earnings, weaker pension coverage, and longer life expectancy.
- Many elderly women live alone or depend on informal care systems.
- Socio-Economic Challenges
- Elderly women face financial insecurity, health issues, and social isolation.
- Care burdens disproportionately fall on female family members.
- Policy Gaps
- Current policies lack gender-disaggregated data and targeted welfare programs.
- Institutional care systems and community-based support structures remain inadequate.
- Political Opportunity through Women’s Representation
- Increased representation can help bring women-centric issues like elder care into legislative priorities.
- Women legislators may push for inclusive social protection policies.
- Importance of Data and Budgeting
- Need for age- and gender-disaggregated data.
- Transparent budget allocation for elder care services.
Way Forward
• Develop a national gender-sensitive elder care policy.
• Strengthen public healthcare services for ageing women.
• Expand community-based care and social security systems.
• Encourage political representation to translate into policy action.
• Promote research and data collection on ageing and gender.
UPSC Relevance:
• GS Paper 2: Governance, Social Justice – elderly welfare and women’s representation
• GS Paper 1: Indian Society – ageing population and gender issues
• Prelims: Women’s Reservation Act, IGNOAPS, National Policy for Older Persons