Structural analysis of the ‘becoming component’ of quality of life and vulnerability of elderly females under varying support systems

Pages: 643-647
Sarita Saini and Sushma Jaswal (Department of Human Development, College of Home Science, PAU, Ludhiana)

A study was undertaken to assess gender differentials in the ‘Becoming Component’ of the Quality of Life of elderly (65 years & above) living in various types of support systems. ‘Becoming Component’ refers to the things one does in his life that define him and is known to impact the Quality of Life of an individual. The study comprised a sample of 400 subjects from Ludhiana city, equally drawn from four support systems viz. elderly living with sons, living with daughters, living alone, and living in institutions. The sample was further divided over the two sexes. A Quality of Life Profile, senior’s version prepared and published by Quality of Life Research Unit, University of Toronto, Canada (2000) was administered to measure the ‘Becoming Component’ of Quality of Life (QOL) of the subjects across various support systems. The ‘Becoming Component’ of the QOL was studied under three dimensions viz. ‘Practical Becoming’ concerning practical and purposeful activities in one’s life, ‘Leisure Becoming’ relating to fun and enjoyment, and ‘Growth Becoming’ referring to adjustments to life’s changes and self improvements. The study revealed that there were significant gender differentials across different dimensions of the ‘Becoming Component’ of the QOL of aged living across different support systems. It was found that very few elderly females compared to males were enjoying ‘Very Good Quality of life’ with respect to the ‘Becoming Component’. It was true across all dimensions of the ‘Becoming Component’ of QOL and varying support systems. The results revealed that ‘Practical Becoming and Leisure Becoming’ dimensions were significantly weaker for females living across all support systems except those ‘living with sons’. However, the ‘Growth Becoming’ was found to be significantly weaker for females ‘living alone or in institutions’. Comparatively, the picture was far more encouraging for the male counterparts.