Ageing, Work, and Self-Rated Health in India

Population ageing is a fundamental concern in public policy. The apprehensions are global but assume high relevance for India. Among older adults, there is a swift and often undesirable transition in economic dependency. The bulk of the dependency transition is gendered, with varying complexities for men and women. The well-being trajectories of financially independent and dependent elderly can vary, subject to family circumstances and living arrangements. However, there are limited insights into dependency transition and the dynamics thereafter. This paper analyses the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI, 2017–18) to further our understanding of dependency transition among the elderly. The analysis identifies labour market challenges and the gendered nature of labour force participation as fundamental reasons for economic dependency in the old age population. Differential associations of economic dependency on subjective health are also noted. These patterns are associated with the marital status of the elderly. The findings call for strengthening social security measures of the workforce to smoothen the dependency transition during older ages. Boosting social security for older adults and the elderly population, including health care coverage, can be instrumental in enhancing their overall well-being.