The Family and the Aged

While the extended family continues to function in traditional ways in rural areas of many developing countries, there is increasing evidence that trends towards urbanization, industrialization and modernization are transforming its structure. Socioeconomic factors tending to weaken this family form include out-migration of youth from rural areas, the small size of urban housing units (precluding common residence of more than two generations) and the increasing tendency of women to join the labor force.

Significant sociocultural and demographic changes are occurring in rural areas in developing countries. A new phenomenon in the last few generations has been the demand of brothers to divide the family land to each individual. After repeated divisions over generations individuals are often left with a tiny piece of land which is non-remunerative to farm. Since there is no other means of livelihood in rural areas many families are leaving the villages and migrating to urban areas in search of jobs.

Since the only occupation they have known is farming, they have to perform unskilled manual labor in urban areas which is not only physically more difficult, but also pays much less. These migrated laborers are exploited by urban employers realizing their helplessness. They are forced to do the hardest and dirtiest jobs. They are also exploited by the land Mafia, police, drug traffickers and alcohol peddlers. They live in slums where there is no water or electricity, hygiene is extremely poor, mosquitoes, flies and rats are rampant. The result is extremely poor environmental conditions leading to chronic diseases which they cannot afford to treat and this is damaging in the long term leading to poor health in old age.

The result of this migration of youth to urban areas is that the elderly are left in the village to take care of themselves. Economic pressures in urban areas where the youths have migrated often does not permit them to repatriate any money to the villages. The result is that not only do the elderly have to care for themselves, there is also no one to farm the land and there is no money to buy food. This is an extremely distressful situation and the rural community is at a total loss how to handle it. This problem is becoming more and more acute in many parts of the developing countries.