Older women in Latin America: the health and socioeconomic situation of this important subgroup.
The social and health consequences of aging, for women in Latin America, have been largely unexplored. This research reports the results of a review and secondary analysis of existing published and unpublished data. The analytical framework cross-classifies the data into three categories of age: midlife (40-59), young old (60-74), and old old (75+), and three categories of country type: highly rural, mixed, and highly urban. Findings revealed a group at severe disadvantage educationally, economically and, by virtue of their longevity, likely to end up widowed and suffering the physical effects of premature aging. Older women also bear the major burden for economic survival and emotional vitality of the family. The strategies they develop to respond to these necessities are innovative and often involve creation of new family forms based on cooperation among women. These deserve greater study as potential models for interventions to take advantage of the long-neglected ingenuity represented by this group.
Sennott-Miller
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016387:Women's Health