In developing countries, over 69 per cent of older persons live in a household with family members, though co-residence and multigenerational families are less common in developed countries. As incomes increase, elderly people begin to express preferences for greater independence. Longstanding traditions of old-age support weaken, relationships between adult children and their parents become increasingly diverse, and expectations of public sector assistance grow as societies develop. A woman who survives her husband and has no married sons may be left with little support in old age, as she may have limited access to pension and property rights or accumulated wealth from the marriage. Older populations, particularly those over 80, are predominantly female.
Older women are more likely than men to be poor or illiterate.
Discrimination, restrictions on their freedom of mobility and association, and their lack of financial and legal experience often makes them vulnerable to exploitation. Deliberate abuse or neglect of older family members needs to be recognized as a public health and human rights concern. A growing number of countries are strengthening both laws on family responsibility for elderly care and regulations on institutional service quality.