
I care for my disabled son and spin cotton
Aselefech is 70 and lives in Ethiopia. Her husband struggles with alcoholism. Her son has a mental health condition. She juggles unpaid care with paid work.
This briefing paper seeks to raise awareness of the critical but invisible work that older women do - paid and unpaid - in developing country contexts. Because #OlderWomenMatter
Published: 2018
Author: Age International
Pages: 16
Using original research conducted for Age International by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), this paper makes clear how gender norms and inequalities intersect with poverty, public health issues and human rights to drive older women to do paid and unpaid work that negatively affects their wellbeing – while their families, communities and economies depend heavily on the work they do.
Aselefech is 70 and lives in Ethiopia. Her husband struggles with alcoholism. Her son has a mental health condition. She juggles unpaid care with paid work.
Nge is 63 and lives in Myanmar. She is raising 4 grandchildren single-handedly while their parents work abroad. She does informal work to get by.
Ernestina is 88 and lives in Zanzibar. She used to be a housemaid. Now she chooses to continue working - by using her small pension to start a business.
Hazoor is 56 and lives in Pakistan. She got a loan and training from Age International and now she runs her own small shop. Before, she struggled to eat.
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