Absence of social protection leaves older women weak, defenceless

Islamabad : Pakistan does not have a national policy for protection of the rights of older people, especially older women, whose vulnerability increases manifold due to the absence of income security. As member states gather at the UN for the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) next week, the national and international development agenda must include social protection for older women as a priority theme so that older women can say: “I have the income I need,” and “I enjoy the best possible health and quality of life.”

Countries around the world are now developing new legislations and policies for protection of the rights of older women. Pakistan too initiated the legislation process, with the Senior Citizen Acts approved by the governments of KP, Sindh and Balochistan in 2014, 2016 and 2017 respectively. However, implementation on these Acts is still pending as older people wait for provision of services enshrined therein.

“My husband used to work as a mason. We were living normal lives until he suffered an accident at work and broke his leg. He is now bedridden and unable to work. There is no one to help us. I am diabetic, which has made me disabled and unable to work. We are going through a very difficult time. The government should recognize and address the basic needs of older people, especially of older women,” remarked an old woman living in Islamabad’s outskirts. With age and without any social protection, vulnerabilities of the older women increase disproportionately because the discrimination they face over their life course accumulate and magnify in older age.

Around the world, women are more likely than men to live in poverty throughout their lives, to be disempowered socially and economically, and have their rights denied. Most of the world’s older women struggle to survive and feed their families on very low incomes. They also greatly contribute to communities and economies through their work and care, which is often unrecognized and unpaid.

Moreover, a majority of the people in Pakistan is employed with informal and semi-formal sectors including the agriculture and private sectors. People employed with government institutions are less than 10 percent of the total employed population and only those employed with the government are entitled for old age pension, leaving out a vast majority of the population without any social protection in older age. Increasingly, governments are moving towards universal non-contributory social pensions, and there is growing evidence that these are an effective and affordable solution, especially in countries with high levels of poverty and informal employment. They enhance women’s economic autonomy, strengthen their voice and agency, and can be an effective way of recognizing the value of unpaid work.

According to HelpAge, the global population aged over 60 will reach 1 billion in 2020, doubling again by 2050. Growth is most rapid in low- and middle-income countries, with far-reaching implications that governments are only now beginning to address. Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world. It is among one of those 15 countries in the world where the number of people over the age of 60 is more than 10 million. According to an estimate, the population of older people in Pakistan, which is currently around 15 million, is expected to rise to 45 million by 2050. As such, it is time the government took the needed measures to improve the lot of older people in general, and older women in particular.