Explore the vast range of titles available.

Post-abortion contraceptive use is a critical element of reproductive healthcare aimed at preventing unintended pregnancies and promoting reproductive agency. This study investigates changes in post-abortion contraceptive use and factors associated with that use. We use reproductive calendars implemented in 2015–16 and 2019–21 National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) to investigate changes in post-abortion contraceptive use among currently married women age 15–49 in India. We then use 2019–21 NFHS to examine the factors associated with post-abortion contraceptive use. Our analysis is based on a weighted sample of 5,473 women from NFHS-4 and 5,103 women from NFHS-5. The study employs a two-stage estimation procedure using the Inverse Mills Ratio (IMR) framework to address potential biases in abortion reporting. In the second stage, we used a multinomial probit regression model to assess factors influencing post-abortion contraceptive use. Post-abortion contraceptive use increased from 49% in NFHS-4 to 57% in NFHS-5. Multinomial probit regression analysis revealed that gestational age of abortion was negatively associated with post-abortion contraceptive use, while factors such as having a son or prior contraceptive use increased the likelihood. Women who had abortions in private or non-health facilities were less likely to use post-abortion Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC), compared to public health facilities. Those who reported unplanned pregnancy or contraceptive failure as the reason for abortion were more likely to use traditional methods of post-abortion contraception. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating family planning services into abortion care and ensuring comprehensive information and counselling on contraceptive options during the post-abortion period, as crucial measures to improve women’s health.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the social engagement of individuals who have recently migrated to cities in India. The objective is to assess the capacity of these migrants to foster social connections in their newfound urban settings, aiming to advocate for urban governance reforms that facilitate inclusive planning for the holistic well-being of all residents, including migrants. Design/methodology/approach Using quantitative data from the first phase of the longitudinal aging study in India (LASI-2020), this study introduces the term “social engagement” to characterize the interactions of migrants. Incorporating 18 relevant variables, the research uses the Chi-square test to explore correlations between these factors and the social engagement of recent migrants in cities. In addition, multivariate logistic regression is used to identify traits that empower migrants to achieve significant levels of social engagement. Findings This study reveals that a substantial proportion of recent migrants (over 70%) experience social isolation in their new urban environments. Factors such as increasing age, female gender and lower educational attainment significantly contribute to this isolation. Moreover, wealth, religious affiliations and previous urban experiences play pivotal roles in shaping social engagement among urban migrants. Interestingly, age itself does not directly impact migrants’ social engagement; instead, the intersection of factors such as education, wealth and prior urban experiences assumes a critical role. Practical implications Recognizing that social engagement is an integral part of everyday life in contemporary urban societies, it is imperative for urban governance in India to establish structures and systems that facilitate social engagement for the elderly, including migrants. Urban administrators and planners must integrate these dimensions into planning and administrative processes to foster inclusivity for all elderly populations, including migrants, within urban areas. Originality/value Addressing a noticeable gap in existing literature, this paper initiates a discourse on the social engagement of recent migrants residing in Indian cities, with specific focus on the intricate interplay of aging, gender, migration status, wealth and education.

This thesis examines the post-retirement life of the pensioners in Kerala. They have the longest retirement life span due to the highest life expectancy (75 years) and the lowest retirement age (56 years) among all the states in India. In this context, this research makes an attempt to understand the living arrangements, pre-retirement planning, post-retirement employment, subjective health and quality of life of the surveyed pensioners. It also critically examines the mandatory retirement age of the government employees in Kerala. This study follows a mixed-method approach by substantiating the empirical evidence emerging from the research through case studies, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study was conducted among 342 pensioners aged 60 years and above. The thesis starts with a macro-level analysis of the phenomenon of population ageing with a special focus on Kerala, using data from different rounds of the Census of India and other large-scale surveys. The data from the Census revealed that the proportion of the older persons in Kerala increased considerably between 1961 and 2001. It also gives an indication of the feminisation of ageing in the state. The sex ratio of those aged 80 years and above in 2011 was 1,651 females per 1,000 males. More alarmingly, the proportion of the widowed/ separated/ divorced among the women is high in Kerala. On the economic front, it was found that half of the older population was fully dependent on others. The old age dependency ratio was the highest amongst all the states in India. It was also found that one-third of the older population participates in economic activities mainly due to financial needs. The analysis of the primary data shows that nearly one-fifth of the pensioners were widowed. The widowhood status was 7 times higher among the female pensioners as compared to the male pensioners. More than one-third of the household members were aged 60 years and above. Around one-third of the household population were pensioners. While a major chunk of the members were found to reside outside the household, they supported the pensioners financially and made frequent calls and visits to the household. The subjective health status of the pensioners was also examined. Half of the surveyed pensioners suffered from multiple non-communicable diseases. While 17 percent had no diseases at all, 16 percent had three or more non-communicable diseases. Ninety percent of those who had any disease were under treatment. Finance was not found to be a barrier for treatment seeking among the pensioners. The average monthly health expenditure by a pensioner was estimated at 1,394. Forty-five percent of the pensioners rated their current health as very good /good. The current and comparative health status was much better among the men as compared to the women. The findings drawn from the analysis suggest that the chances of having higher functional difficulties were high among the oldest-old, females, Christians, those belonging to the OBC or the SC/ ST categories and those who were not working. Twenty-eight percent of the total variance in the mean WHODAS score and 23 percent of the total variance in the mean IADL score is explained by these socio-demographic variables. The quality of life of the pensioners was also significantly affected by the work status and the type of family of the pensioners.The most common kind of living arrangement of the pensioners was living with spouse and children. A high proportion of the female pensioners lived alone as compared to their male counterparts. The preferred living arrangements of around one-third of the pensioners differed from their present living arrangement. It was found that the economic dependency among the pensioners was low and that in many cases their pension was the main source of income in the family. It is also seen that the basic needs of almost all the pensioners were looked after by themselves. Nearly all the pensioners were satisfied with their post-retirement life, though the satisfaction was low among the women as compared to the men. The majority of the pensioners never worked after their retirement. While the reasons for not working were health problems, being too old to work, and preference to lead a peaceful retirement life, the reason for working after retirement was mainly economic need. The results from the regression analysis confirmed that the post-retirement employment and engagement in any physical activity had a significant and positive association with the mean WHODAS, ADL and IADL scores, while the association with the mean WHOQOL score was negative and significant. This indicates that post-retirement employment and engaging in physical activity promotes the quality of life of the pensioners. The regression model explains 31 percent of the variability in the WHODAS scores and 15 percent of the variability in the WHOQOL scores. Looking at the pre-retirement planning of the pensioners, more than half of the pensioners were of the opinion that pre-retirement planning was important for a good retirement life. The tendency to plan was higher among the males than the females. However, the proportion of those who never had a saving plan or a fixed deposit was higher among the males as compared to the females. Education had a significant and positive influence on the financial planning of the pensioners. It was found that health planning was significantly lower among the females. Social planning had a significant association with sex, place of residence and the family type. It was lower among the females as compared to the males. Age, sex and household wealth status had a significant role in the work planning of the pensioners. The results of the regression analysis show that those who had planned in the health domain enjoyed a better functional health after retirement in terms of mean WHODAS, ADL, IADL scores. The quality of life was high for those who had planned in the health domain. The results of this analysis show that health planning was the only domain which had a significant association with mean WHODAS, ADL, IADL and WHOQOL scoresDuring the recent years, the state's spending on pension has increased drastically. The number of pensioners surpassed the number of government employees in the state in 2010. The analysis in this area indicates that the burden of pension on the state exchequer is expected to increase further in the coming years due to the dual payment on pension and the increase in the remaining life expectancies beyond the age of 55 years. The life expectancies have improved by 11 years for the females and 9 years for the males during the last 35 years. A 62- year-old woman in 2013 had the same remaining life expectancy as a woman of 55 years in 1976. Similarly, a 60-year-old man in 2013 had the same remaining life expectancy as a man of 55 years in 1976. This change along with the increased age at joining the job has brought down the gap in the average number of years of service and the average number of years in retirement, and this gap was found to be only 4 years among the study population. The results indicate that the age at which “old age” starts got postponed by a minimum of 3 years for the males and 4 years for the females during the 1976-2011 period. Using the characteristics based measure of ageing, it was found that the age of eligibility for pension would have risen on an average by one month per year during the 1976-2011 period. The proportion of the older persons computed using this measure shows that it is growing at a much lower level than the proportion of the older population calculated using the chronological age of 55 years. The primary data revealed that the preferred retirement age was much higher than the prescribed retirement age of 56 years. It was found that more than three-fourths of the respondents expressed their willingness to work until the age of 60 years. Based on these findings, the present retirement age needs to be looked at afresh. The findings emerging out of this study have certain policy implications. Though the awareness of the importance of pre-retirement planning was high among the pensioners, it was practically non-existent among them. Retirement orientation programmes can be provided to the employees before their retirement to enable them to plan for the requirements of the post-retirement life. Post-retirement employment has been found to positively influence the subjective health and the quality of life of the pensioners. A mechanism may be developed to help the government absorb those of the pensioners who are ready to work in certain government jobs in the post-retirement period. A job bank specifically designed for retirees can be created so that they can find suitable full-time/part-time jobs. Based on the findings from the study, an enhancement in the prescribed retirement age is suggested. However, caution must be taken in deciding on an exact retirement age as it requires further analysis of the health status of the pensioners and the existing unemployment levels among the youth. However, a policy with regard to ensuring a minimum number of working years for all government servants will be useful and is possible.

Increasing urbanisation and rising economic inequality are concomitant in India. Though studies have examined the level, pattern and trend of urbanisation in Maharashtra, no attempt has been made to examine the level of well-being across local bodies in urban India. Using data from the Census of India 2011, this paper examines the variations in community and household well-being in the Municipal Corporations of Maharashtra. Two composite indices of well-being, namely, Community Well-being Index (CWI) and Household Well-being Index (HWI) are used to depict the state of well-being at the community and household levels respectively. Results suggest large variations in HWI and CWI across the Municipal Corporations of Maharashtra. The correlation coefficient of HWI and CWI was 0.51. We observe varying patterns of CWI and HWI. Malegaon, Solapur, Nanded-Waghala, Akola Municipal Corporations are deprived at both CWI and HWI. Chandrapur and Parbhani Corporations, have higher HWI compare to CWI. The Kalyan-Dombivli Corporation ranked first while Parbhani Municipal Corporation ranked the least in CWI among all 27 Corporations in Maharashtra. Similarly, Panvel Corporation with a HWI value of 0.97ranked first and Bhiwandi-Nizampur ranked least. Corporations that perform poorly in HWI and CWI should be accorded priority in the State's plan and policies.