Allameh Tabataba’i University Strategic Recommendations for  Administrative Bodies

Allameh Tabataba’i University Strategic Recommendations for Administrative Bodies

Gender and Aging: Demographic Dimensions and Upcoming Challenges

Author
Department of Demographics, Allameh Tabataba'i University
Abstract
The increasing share of the elderly in the demographic structure, particularly among women, is one of the most significant social developments of coming decades, leaving profound implications for health, the labor market, social support systems, intergenerational relations, and residential patterns. The "feminization of aging," driven by women's higher life expectancy and their growing ratio in advanced age groups, coupled with family changes such as declining fertility and shrinking households, exacerbates the risk of loneliness, poverty, and vulnerability among older women. Official data indicate that a significant proportion of elderly women live with low levels of literacy and very limited economic participation, and a high percentage are unpartnered due to widowhood or divorce, residing in single-person or small households—a situation that increases dependence on informal support and will become even more fragile with future declines in the number of children. Proposed strategies are anchored in the axis of "active aging" and include promoting women's health during youth and middle age, screening and early intervention, expanding supportive insurances and revising laws related to inheritance and social security, establishing a special legal package for single elderly women, shifting public attitudes toward elderly care facilities, strengthening age-friendly communities, leveraging modern technologies for remote services, and utilizing the coordinated capacity of civil, religious, and media institutions to reduce elder abuse, isolation, and stereotyping.
Keywords