Exploring Ageing, Gender and Co-producing Urban Space in the Global South

Abstract

Men and women experience old age differently worldwide and their quality of life is impacted by an environment with both macro (societal, cultural) and micro (community, home) dimensions. There is an emphasis in debates on gender and the city on the rights and development of girl children, and the needs and rights of younger "productive" and "reproductive" women. This paper argues that the vulnerabilities and contributions of older women in the urban environment are rarely acknowledged and often ignored in the design of human settlements, the location of housing, and the provision of urban services. Older women, especially widows and those without children, are particularly vulnerable, both economically and socially. Despite this, older women play important roles in public and political discourse, caregiving, and intergenerational sharing of wisdom and experience. Applying the Capabilities Approach developed by Amartya Sen may be a useful contribution to the discourse. There is a need for a more balanced perspective that recognises these differences in urban development and the important implications for policy. The potential of co-production is also explored when discussing the design and development of age friendly cities.