[Blog] In the context of the International Day of Older Persons: The Double Standards of Ageing

This concept was developed by Susan Sontag in 1972. It is in consonance with the gender perspective on ageing and the overall impact that the ticking of the biological clock has on men and women alike. In contrast, the social clock tends to chime rather differently for women.

It is an inescapable fact that the world population is ageing rapidly. It is estimated that the senior population will reach 2.1 billion in 2050. This is due to the dramatic increase in life expectancy. In Mauritius,  according to World Bank, the general life expectancy was 73.68 in 2021. However,  whereas for male , it was 70.29, for females it was 77.24. This means that women largely outlive men. This cold demographic fact has important social implications. One of them is that many women live the twilight of their lives in widowhood or in loneliness. While society is rather indulgent on elderly men who rebuild their lives after the death of their partners, it views negatively such attempts by aged women to enter into a relationship with a view to seeking companionship,  sharing of joys and sorrows, evading the gnawing solitude or even fulfilling their basic physiological needs which remain a taboo but are a basic fact of life.

The social pressure usually emanates from the immediate family itself, with offspring viewing their elderly female parents as mere objects of decoration, devoid of romantic feelings and dried up of basic physiological needs. As one woman put it in a study carried out in 2016 "We are capable of love and compassion, and we do not want to be checked off because of a few wrinkles and white hair" [Body Image, Aging and Identity in Women over 50].

Elderly men have fewer constraints, as they can start afresh or even access such services monetarily .

All this differential treatment is not alien to the ageist image that society has of elderly women who are expected to conform to prescribed norms, behave in a certain way or dress in a specific manner.Those who try to break out of the mold or lead their lives as per their wish or even attempt to preserve their "aesthetic capital " [Bourdieu] are often ostracized or even ridiculed. One has just to observe the sardonic smile,  not to say downright disdain, by which service providers welcome elderly female clients in places like beauty parlors ,etc. They are clearly made to feel that this is not their rightful place. It is for the young. This is reinforced by the media and consumer culture, which equate beauty with youth. All this has prompted Gullette to conclude that "women are aged by cultural concepts rather than by aging itself.” 

This is sheer ageism. One of the insidious manifestations of ageism is the violence and abuse to which elderly persons are subjected. The victims are elderly women in a disproportionate way.

According to the Welfare and Elderly Protection Unit of the Ministry of Social Security, there are twice as many elderly women who are victims of abuse than men. The reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg as hundreds of other cases go unreported, especially those of domestic violence taking place clandestinely at home where verbal abuse against lonely elderly women is legion. Many of them live with their sons and daughters-in-law. The latter usually feel threatened by the perceived influence that the mothers continue to have on their sons and very often react abusively, using derogatory language like a witch, etc. There is a whole folklore about daughters-in-law believing that mothers-in- law indulge in witchcraft ( and vice-versa) and when they happen to fall ill, it is the first thought that comes to their minds ("li p fer diab sa da-ine la").

However, though such situations are quite common, one should guard from making sweeping generalizations. On the other hand, with the proliferation of drug abuse, many mothers and grandmothers are becoming victims of violence as addicted children and grandchildren prey on their pensions to satisfy their drug-related needs.

Furthermore, ageing women face greater economic vulnerabilities than their male counterparts. In a number of sectors, women still earn less than men. This means that when they retire they get less as a pension and nothing if they have spent their lives working in the informal sector or simply assuming domestic and care-giving responsibilities at home.  Hence, they do not have any contributory pension to top up their old age allowance.

Regarding inheritance, although the law provides for equal sharing, the tradition remains that male siblings are often privileged while bequeathing landed property or parental residence. As a result, very often women end up with fewer assets in their later life.

Finally, with such vulnerabilities, it is not a surprise that there is a higher proportion of elderly women suffering from depression, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease than men.

Azize Bankur