FINAL-Psycho-Social Wellbeing of Middle Aged
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A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHO SOCIAL WELLBEING OF MIDDLE AGED WOMEN (45-65 YEARS) IN DELHI-NCR Funded by Ministry of Women and Child Development Government of India Project Report Submitted by Prof. Sabiha Hussain, Principal Investigator & Director Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia 2018 FOREWORD Despite the fact that the psychosocial wellbeing for the middle aged women is multi-dimensional and the most crucial stage of a woman’s life, it is comparatively a least researched area especially in India. The discourse on gender studies has also not paid much attention to this age group. In the health and population policy discourse also the women of this age group has got little attention.Further, India being a signatory to UN's charter on sustainable development goals (SDGs) especially SDG 2 and SDG 3 that talks about improved food and nutrition status and ensuring healthy lives and promoting well being for all at all ages respectively, very little attention has been given toward these goal especially with regard to middle aged women. However, subjective experiences, expectations and practices are important markers for wellbeing of a woman because socially women suffer at the hand of economic dependence, domestic violence, lack of autonomy and decision making power, health issues and lack of adequate healthcare facilities, issues of self identity and family dysfunction and disharmony. The present research basically tries to capture these manifestations and experiences of middle aged women on their day to day life domain which is beyond the conventional issues of health and diseases. In this research wellbeing is broadly explained in terms of recognition of self worth and achievement where one leads a life of meaning and purpose and full potential along with the ability and capability of contributing to the larger realms of society. Being in a state of calm, peace and self realization of one’s own limitations and self value is vital for harbouring a positive self perception which is essential for one’s wellbeing. Psychologically speaking the self identity one embraces in life through socialization, experiences and expectations is essential to ones understanding of wellbeing. Through this research we have tried to highlight the needs and requirements to convert middle aged women from social burden to social asset. These women may not be reproductively active; however, they are still highly mentally and physically productive. Hence, there is a need to ensure that the rights steps are taken in-order to correctly channel this overlooked and unrecognized resource that could in return enrich the society and economy each other. This research is a modest attempt in this direction. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all I am grateful to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India for funding the research project "A Situational Analysis of the Psycho-Social Well Being of Middle Aged Women 45-65 years In Delhi-NCR". Without the financial support from the Ministry, it would not have been possible for us to carry out research about such an important area which needs attention from all concerned especially from the programmatic and gender perspective. I owe a special thanks to Sathi all for Partnerships for helping us in carrying out and shaping of this research project. I would like to thank all the middle aged respondents whom we interviewed and interacted for filling up questionnaire, indepth case studies and FGDs. Without their trust and support, this project would not have been possible. I am extremely thankful to all the NGOs and Individuals who helped us on field for collection of our data. I would also like to express our appreciation to all the Key Information Informants for sharing their expertise with us during the course of this research. I am grateful to Ms Deepika Nair, our consultant for helping us at different stages of the project right from discussion on relevant literature to formulation of questionnaire and report writing. The clerical support received by Mr. Aslam. Mr.Irshad and Mr.Wali of Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islama is highly acknowledged Lastly but not the least I am thankful to my research team Ms. Pranjali Malhotra, Ms. Sudeshna Roy, Mr. Naif Khan, Mr. Mohd.Anas, Ms. Amina Amin Sultana and Ms. Zeba Iqbal for their tireless efforts in making the project a reality. Prof. Sabiha Hussain Principal Investigator & Director, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s studies Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Middle aged women in the post reproductive age group are neglected and marginalized by self, family and society at large. Their wellbeing depends on psycho-social factors more than physiological. In this research project we aimed to analyse the psycho-social wellbeing of middle aged women in the age group of 45-65 years. We conducted a purposive survey of 1000 middle aged women across various locations in Delhi-NCR. FGDs, indepth case studies and KIIs also formed part of this one year study. The findings reveal that wellbeing varies according to marital status, religious communities, household income, level of education and work status. Violence, menopausal health as well as mental health are not mutually exclusive and affect each other and are important at this age. Personal and societal barriers prevent to address violence, menopausal health and mental health issues. Individualism is rarely seen amongst middle aged women as they do not see themselves as separate entities but get entwined within their social roles. Their personal wellbeing gets lost in the psycho-social milieu thus marginalising them within the gender discourse. To delve deeper and to understand the psycho-social wellbeing of these women, interplay of different indicators were studied. The marginalized groups of unmarried, separated or divorced, widowed women and transcending women (60-65 years) were given special focus in our study. Findings depict feelings of worthlessness and isolation among the women stemming out of disregard by the family and community. Intra-familial relationships, good health, social interaction, religious pursuits and me-time activities form the fundamental base of psycho-social wellbeing. Mainstreaming the middle aged women requires systematic approach in coping techniques adopted to overcome stressors which impact their sense of wellbeing. Gaps in awareness and accessibility in government policies and provisions in relation to middle aged women were also studied. Continued adult education, therapeutic interventions for mental health, menopausal healthcare, employment opportunities and accessibility to monetary schemes is inadequate. Towards this it is imperative to address comprehensiveness, effectiveness and efficiency of schemes, programmes, policies and legislations for achieving holistic inclusion of middle aged women. This would be instrumental in ensuring social dignity of the middle age woman and her security. iv CONTENTS Chapter Title Page No. Foreword ii Acknowledgements iii Executive Summary iv Contents v List of Table ix List of Figures xii List of Photos xiv Abbreviations xvi I Introduction 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem 2 1.2 Literature Review 4 1.3 Hypothesis 7 1.4 Research Questions 8 1.5 Major Objectives of the Research 8 1.6 Methodology 9 1.7 Database and Sampling Design 12 1.8 Study Area 14 1.9 Rationale of Study 16 1.10 Conceptual Framework 17 1.11 Limitations of the Study 21 1.12 Layout of Chapters 21 II Socio-Economic And Demographic Profile Of Middle Aged Women 24 2.1 Socio-Demographical Background of Middle Aged Women 26 2.1.1 Economic Status 28 2.1.2 Literacy and Educational Background 32 2.1.3 Skill 35 2.1.4 Working Status 37 2.2 Conclusion 45 III Physical And Psychological Wellbeing Of Middle Aged Women 46 3.1 Health, Illness and Physical Fitness 46 3.1.1 Menopausal Health Awareness 51 3.1.2 Balanced Diet and Nutrition 54 3.1.3 Physical Fitness and Activities 55 3.14 Sleep 56 3.2 Mental and Psychological Health and Its Determinants 58 3.2.1 Stress 65 3.3 Coping Mechanism/Strategies 67 3.4 Conclusion 71 IV Social Wellbeing 73 4.1 Family Dynamics 73 4.1.1 Compatibility with the Partner/Spouse 73 4.1.2 Head of Household: An Indicator of Psycho-Social Wellbeing 81 v 4.1.3 Decision Making and Wellbeing 81 4.1.4 Violence: A Barrier to Psycho-Social Wellbeing 82 4.1.5 Care Giving Role and Impact on Psycho-social Wellbeing 88 4.1.6 Perception of Society towards Middle Aged Women 91 4.1.7 Perception of Men towards Middle Aged Women 96 4.2 Conclusion 97 V Perspectives On Psycho-Social Wellbeing 99 5.1 Well-being is a complex phenomenon 99 5.1.1 Happiness – Essence of Wellbeing 105 5.1.2 Domestic Chores and Work Burden 108 5.1.3 Me-Time and Leisure 109 5.1.4 Religious Rituals and Practices: A Component of Wellbeing 111 5.1.5 Perceptions about Self 112 5.1.6 Social Perception about Self by Middle Aged Women 117 5.1.7 Body Image : A Matter of Psycho-Social Wellbeing 119 5.1.8 Grooming 121 5.2 Barriers to Wellbeing 123 5.2.1 Barriers faced at Workplace 126 5.2.2 Barriers faced from Society 127 5.3 Aspirations- Dreams and Future Life 130 5.3.1 Dreams 130 5.3.2 Future in the Middle Aged Woman’s Narrative 132 5.3.3 Regrets 134 5.3.4 Degree of Satisfaction from Life and Perception of Overall Wellbeing 139 5.4 Wellbeing Index 140 5.5 Conclusion 146 VI Role Of State & Psycho-Social Wellbeing Of Middle Aged Women: 148 Views, Awareness And Accessibility 6.1 Awareness and Accessibility about Government Schemes 148 6.2 Legal Rights