Older women are the majority within our ageing population.
Assumptions are sometimes made that older men s and older women s needs and concerns are the same. This is not true. Gender, plus social and economic factors have a profound impact on how people age and what options are available to them. Statistical evidence shows that most older women have experienced disadvantages in the past which have significant effects on their later years - effects which are, for many , ongoing. It is now official policy in the Ageing and Disability Department and other NSW government departments to give priority to older women as a population group because of their age, gender, social and economic situation.