Ageing, Women and PovertyAgeing, Women and Poverty

Richard LeeteRichard Leete

UN Resident Coordinator for MalaysiaUN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia

UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and BruneiBrunei

UNFPA RepresentativeUNFPA Representative

18 December, 200518 December, 2005

KelantanKelantan

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and Poverty

Global Population Ageing

• Population ageingPopulation ageing is an inevitable is an inevitable consequence of the consequence of the demographic transitiondemographic transition – – the shift from higher to lower levels of the shift from higher to lower levels of mortality and especially lower levels of mortality and especially lower levels of fertilityfertility

• Because Because transition taking place much fastertransition taking place much faster in in developing countries, population ageing is developing countries, population ageing is occurring more rapidlyoccurring more rapidly

• 22//33 of older persons live in developing of older persons live in developing countries – countries – some 400 million personssome 400 million persons, although , although proportions higher in developed countriesproportions higher in developed countries– Women comprise greater proportion of older populations Women comprise greater proportion of older populations

–– disparity increases with advancing agedisparity increases with advancing age

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and Poverty

Older Persons, Poverty and Development

• Situation ofSituation of many older persons many older persons living inliving in developing developing countries countries one ofone of extreme poverty extreme poverty

• Traditional family support Traditional family support mechanismsmechanisms eroding eroding– Declining family size, rural to urban migration, Declining family size, rural to urban migration,

declining co-residence and in some countries declining co-residence and in some countries younger family members dying of HIV/AIDSyounger family members dying of HIV/AIDS

• Poverty Poverty experience inexperience in childhood childhood andand adulthood adulthood likely likely toto deepen deepen withwith advancing age – life cycle of poverty advancing age – life cycle of poverty

• Main concerns of older poor Main concerns of older poor – inadequate living – inadequate living conditions, access to health care and social conditions, access to health care and social protection, inter-generational violence and abuseprotection, inter-generational violence and abuse

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and Poverty

Increasing Focus on Older Poor

• Large proportions of older persons in Large proportions of older persons in developed developed countriescountries have attracted supportive concern have attracted supportive concern butbut relatively little attention in relatively little attention in developing countriesdeveloping countries

• Past policy focusPast policy focus with rapid population growth with rapid population growth overshadowed population ageingovershadowed population ageing

• Population ageingPopulation ageing increasingly seen as increasingly seen as major major challengechallenge in developing countries especially in developing countries especially where:where:– Social safety nets do not exist, where there is limited Social safety nets do not exist, where there is limited

institutional and human resource capacity to respond institutional and human resource capacity to respond to basic needs of older personsto basic needs of older persons

Ageing, Women and Poverty

European and Japanese Populations Have Heavy Concentration at Older Ages

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Malaysia’s Population Getting Older

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Share of Older Malaysians Increasing

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Share of Older Persons Varies by State

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Sabah

Kuala Lumpur

Selangor

Sarawak

Johor

Pahang

Kedah

Perak

Negeri Sembilan

Melaka

Terengganu

Pulau Pinang

Kelantan

Perlis

Malaysia

1970 2000

(%)Population aged 60 years and over

Ageing, Women and Poverty

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

Female

Male

Total

1970 2000

(%)

'80 '91

Percentage of total population aged 60 years and over

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Total

Indians

Chinese

Bumiputera Males

Females

(000s)

48% 52%

48% 52%

48% 52%

53%

47%

Older Females Outnumber Males in All Ethnic Groups, 2000

Ageing, Women and Poverty

1

3

19

20

14

67

70

6

10

9

49

29

3

2

64

34

0 20 40 60 80 100

Females

Males

Females

Males

Older personaged

60 and over

(%)

Younger person

aged 25-29

Tertiary

Secondary

Primary

Never attendedschool

Older Malaysian, Especially Women, Lacking Formal Education, 2000

Ageing, Women and Poverty

0

20

40

60

80

100

Males 60-64

Females 60-64

Males 25-29

Females 25-29

(%)

Ma

lays

ia's

lab

ou

r fo

rce

pa

rtic

ipa

tion

ra

tes

1980 '85 '88 '95 '02 2004

Older Malaysians, Especially Women, Have Lower Labour Force Participation Rates

Ageing, Women and Poverty

8 11 9 12

16 8

3516

42 48

11

4

1222

12

13

6

24

13

66

7 5

21 261

2

5

0

20

40

60

80

100

Employed males: Employed females: Employed males: Employed females:

(%)

174,700 62,700 967,200 629,600

Aged 60-64 in 2004 Aged 25-29 in 2004

Professionals, technicians and associate professionals

Legislators, senior officials and managers

Clerical workers

Service workers and shop and market sales workers

Skilled agriculture and fishery workers

Craft and related trade workers, Plant and machine-operators and assemblers

Elementary occupation

Older Malaysian, if Working, Likely to be in Agriculture

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and PovertyAgeing, Women and Poverty

0

2

1

2

7

10

4

2

39

24

36

14 84

55

71

50

0 20 40 60 80 100

Females

Males

Kelantan

MalaysiaOlder

personaged

60 and over

(%)

Older personaged 60 and

over in Kelantan

Tertiary

Secondary

Primary

Never attendedschool

Older people in Kelantan, Especially Women, Lacking Formal Education, 2000

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and Poverty

13

8

4

11

16

16

9

8

48

42

58

48

5

12

9

22

14

13

16

5

5

7

4

5

0 20 40 60 80 100

Kelantan:

Malaysia:

Kelantan:

Malaysia:

(%)

Employed females

aged 60-64 in 2004

Professionals, technicians and associate professionals

Legislators, senior officials and managers

Clerical workers

Service workers and shop and market sales workers

Skilled agriculture and fishery workers

Craft and related trade workers, Plant and machine-operators and assemblers

Elementary occupation

Employed males

aged 60-64 in 2004

174,700

62,700

12,800

5,600

Ageing, Women and Poverty

Older People in Kelantan more likely to be Engaged in Agriculture

Old Age Globally and in Malaysia: Feminisation and Poverty

Conclusion

• Mainstream ageingMainstream ageing issues into multi-sectoral issues into multi-sectoral development processes, with a particular focus on development processes, with a particular focus on older poorolder poor– Out of Malaysia’s 1.5 million older persons, 14 per cent Out of Malaysia’s 1.5 million older persons, 14 per cent

live in poverty, especially womenlive in poverty, especially women

• EnsureEnsure appropriate social services and welfare appropriate social services and welfare coverage for poor and disadvantaged older persons, coverage for poor and disadvantaged older persons, most commonly womenmost commonly women

• PromotePromote intergenerational solidarity with the goal of intergenerational solidarity with the goal of maintaining and improving social cohesion among maintaining and improving social cohesion among generationsgenerations

• ImproveImprove data and research on situation and needs of data and research on situation and needs of older persons in Malaysiaolder persons in Malaysia

Ageing, Women and Poverty