Working Paper: 519

Coresidence of Older Persons in India: Who Receive Support
and What are the Levels of Familial Support?

Kinkar Mandal
Lekha Subaiya

 

Abstract

Traditionally, in the context of South Asian countries, one finds a strong patrilineal practice of older persons coresiding with their children. In these countries, typically, the absence of social security has led to children playing a crucial role in supporting their parents. Simultaneously, the strong familial norms and values also contribute to the elderly living with their children. In this context, the present study aims to understand the levels of family support and the kind of support elderly receive from their children in India. For this purpose, the study, using Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India (BKPAI) 2011 data, has found that ‘coresidence is the primary form of family support received by older persons in India. In addition, it is argued that the gender status of older persons is strongly associated with coresidence. Further, from the data, it emerges that older persons living in urban areas, widows, and those belonging to the Muslim community are found to be in good health and have higher chances of coresidence with their adult children.

Working Papers