ABSTRACT
The actual situation of older women in developing countries is influenced by many (mis)perceptions about their capacity and activity. The status of older women in developing countries is the outcome of generations of systematic discrimination, through every stage of the life cycle. The fact that older women's human rights and basic needs have been consistently neglected to make them so vulnerable to poverty in no way justifies such predictions about liability. Women's health and access to health care are undermined by poverty and economic dependence, gender inequalities in nutrition and food distribution, limited decision-making power and negative cultural attitudes. There is a double challenge in responding to the gender implications of global ageing. On one hand, there is an imperative to address the many disadvantages that the life expectancy 'advantage' holds for women. On the other, it is critical to recognize and support the successful efforts of older women to improve their quality of life and that of their families.
