Getting Old Well in Sub Saharan Africa: Exploring the Social and Structural Drivers of Subjective Wellbeing among Elderly Men and Women in Uganda

Abstract

While literature attempts to explain why self-reported subjective wellbeing (SWB) generally increases with age in most high-income countries based on a social determinants of a health framework, little work attempts to explain the low levels of self-report SWB among older persons in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the 2013 Uganda Study on Global Aging and Health with 470 individuals, this research examines (i) direct and indirect effects of age on SWB through social and structural determinants, and (ii) how direct and indirect effects vary by gender. Results show a significant direct and negative effect of age on SWB (β = 0.42, p = 0.01). Six indirect paths were statistically significant and their indirect effects on wellbeing varied by gender. Providing support, education, working status, asset level, financial status and financial improvement were significantly positively associated with men’s SWB, whereas younger age, providing community support, participating in group activities, number of close friends/relatives, government assistance and all socio-economic variables were significantly positively associated with women’s SWB. Strategies to address gendered economic, social and political inequalities among and between elderly populations are urgently needed.

A Struggle for Survival: Meaning of Late Life in a Rural District in Uganda: A Qualitative Study

“…The dominating global meaning-system for all but one participant seemed to be a fusion of Christian and traditional African worldviews. In our study, remarkable differences were noticed between the conditions of men and women as women were reported to suffer harsher conditions affecting their functional ability and meaning-making, which is in line with the findings of, for example, Rishworth et al ( 2020 ). The respondents in this study are trapped in chronic poverty that embraces intergenerational and durational dimensions, where especially widowed, disabled, women, and those living alone are prone to chronic poverty Najjumba-Mulindwa ( 2003 ).…”

“…Women, consequently, suffer accumulated disadvantages and in a study by Rishworth et al ( 2020 ), lower subjectively reported wellbeing was found among older women than men in Uganda. This is no surprise given that meaning and wellbeing are strongly related, but dependent on the context:…”

“…Women, consequently, suffer accumulated disadvantages and in a study by Rishworth et al (2020), lower subjectively reported wellbeing was found among older women than men in Uganda. This is no surprise given that meaning and wellbeing are strongly related, but dependent on the context: Individuals' general tendency to use autobiographical memory for meaning making appears to be positively (and not negatively) related to SWB [Subjective well-being], but the exact nature of such relations varies by the component of meaning assessed, as well as by individuals' life phase and their cultural context (Alea and Bluck, 2013, p. 59).…”

“…Contrary, older women are dependent on other's willingness to support and care for them, simultaneously, twice as many older and must continue to work as long as possible despite any physical impediments to avoid dependency and unpredictability (Ministry of Gender Labour Social Development, 2018 ). Older women consequently are left in a very vulnerable situation with accumulated disadvantages (Najjumba-Mulindwa, 2003 ; Rishworth et al, 2020 ) and receives less support than men in every area. The Senior Citizen Grant would be helpful but does not reach the majority of women and might not even be intended for easing their situation as the (Ministry of Gender Labour Social Development, 2018 , p. 2) in a pamphlet on aging states the following: “An old age pension, for example, allows more children to attend school.…”

“Are Filipinos Aging Well?”: Determinants of Subjective Well-Being among Senior Citizens of the Community-Based ENGAGE Study

“…As for the pension, women might have put more value on social contacts than on financial resources, as previously stated. Financial assets were more strongly related to men’s subjective well-being than women [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”