Abstract
Never before have so many people lived so long. Ageing has not yet been defined as an issue in many developing countries, but already two thirds of the net annual increase in the number of older women in the world is occurring in less developed countries. The key features are an increasing life expectancy and increasing proportion of the population who are elderly, the ageing of the older population itself, and the great diversity in ageing between countries, in particular, the rapidity of ageing in developing countries and newly industrialised countries.
The implications for women are considerable since women are more likely to survive to older ages, are more likely to be economically disadvantaged, and because they assume most of the burden of care of infirm elderly people. Changes in the life course of ageing women have significant implications and their health status reflects the compounding effects of age and gender differences as well as the cultural context in which ageing occurs. As yet, there is no clear evidence that women's greater life expectancy has any significant advantage in the proportion of remaining years lived free of disability. The multidimensional determinants of health of older women mean that strategies to improve and maintain health must also address their disadvantaged status. J Epidemiol, 1996 ; 6 : S219-S223.
