Does Socio-economic Inequality Exist in One-person Household Among Older Adults in India? Evidence From National Family Health Survey, 2015–16

Amidst a rapidly aging population, living alone is considered as a living arrangement with various disadvantages. The study aimed to assess the association between older adults living in one-person-households (OPH) and their socio-economic status along with associated inequalities. The data for the present study was utilized from National Family Health Survey, 2015–16 (n = 146, 657). Descriptive, bivariate along with multivariable analysis was used to fulfil the aim of the present study. For assessing socio-economic differentials in OPH, concentration index along with Wagstaff decomposition analysis was used. It was revealed that poor older adults had a higher proportion of OPH (12.7%) than older adults from the non-poor category (3.8%). The value of concentration index was -0.38 indicating the concentration of OPH among poor older adults. Manipur had the highest value of concentration index (-0.614). The highest percentage of poor OPH among older adults was in Kerala (30.7%) and whereas it was lowest among older adults in Bihar (5.9%). About 33.6% of socio-economic status related-inequality was explained by the marital status of older adults followed by older adults’ place of residence (30.9%) and gender (29.3%). Older adults who are poor, women, never married, and living in rural areas need greater attention from both governmental and non-governmental organizations. In addition, policies should be designed by differentiating between older adults who live alone by choice and those who are forced by circumstances to map the vulnerabilities effectively.