Expectations, Realities and Coping Strategies of Elderly Women in a Village of Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper focuses on the socio-economic status of elderly women, based on 20 elderly women in the village North-Doulatpur in Phulgazi Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Information had been collected through in-depth interviews, and then, on the basis of interviews, seven case studies have been prepared. The major findings of this research are that poverty has an important role in the life of elderly village women and that women are more vulnerable than men in their old age, partly because of a patriarchal social structure. They expected a happy old age, which did typically not materialize. Most of the elderly women suffer from various chronic diseases like back pain, nerve disorder, insomnia, joint pain and pelvic relaxation with uterine prolepses. Despite their sufferings, most of them do not get proper care. None of the women in this study get any government allowance or other necessary services from the government. Elderly women follow various strategies for survive, though some of them could be categorized as negative coping mechanisms.

Keywords: women, ageing, development, Bangladesh

JEL Classification: O15, I14, I32