Logo

The issues and concerns of older women have received little attention in the literature on women . They suffer from multiple disabilities-being old, being women, being widows, being poorer and being more unhealthy. In this context, the present volume offers a refreshing array of papers dealing with the different facets of older women's woes. The book is a collection of 20 article presented at a National Consultation on Older Women held at Thiruvananthapuram in 2011. They were selected for their topical interest, academic relevance and policy implication from the several papers that were presented at this Consulation. An introductory chaptcontextualizes the problems, concerns, needs and aspirations of older women and their implications, and possible approaches for addressing them. The major issues discussed in these papers are: the ageing scenario in India with focus on older women, challenges of longevity for women and needed policy interventions, feminization of ageing and its implication for policy, strategies for older women's empowerment and its various dimensions, identifying and addressing vulnerabitities, a geriatric physician's perspective on health of older women, reproductive healt status of older women, widowhood, disparity in health status and health care utilization by older widows, ageing of the aged: emerging issues and their implications for older women, childless elderly women in rural areas, portrayal of elderly women on the Television, older women in old age homes, etc. A number of policy issues are presented, all of them with focus on empowering older women. The book will be of great interest to a variety of persons-academic researchers, gender studies specialists, gerontologists, professionals, activists and, above all, the policy makers. All of them will find in this volume ample food for their intellectual and policy making pursuits.