Aging and Lack of Social Security Among the Urban Poor in India

Social security for the elderly has always remained a contentious issue in India. Drawing from the works of existing scholars, this study intends to demonstrate how the lack of social security creates multiple challenges for the elderly belonging to the informal sector of urban India. Though cases of elder abuse and abandonment among the older urban poor cannot be negated, this study argues that these older adults also employ various strategies to maintain their economic self-sufficiency. Using qualitative methods, this study will illustrate how the elderly belonging to this group create their own social security net and cannot rely on their kin for any form of financial caregiving support. In particular, this study conducted among the urban poor residing in the slums of the city of Kolkata will highlight how they use different State policies and their own incomes to remain self-sufficient in their final years.