Elderly’s Perception on Inter-generational Relationship: A Case of Rural India

Present paper focuses on care and support elderly gets in family and their perceptions towards younger generation in rural Maharashtra. Issues like situation of aged in the context of respect and care, how the aged and their subsequent generation perceive ageing, elderly’s views and opinions about young generation have been explored in this study. Further, the impact of various socio-economic characteristics on the perceptions of elderly towards younger generation is discussed in detail. Data for this study was collected from the rural Maharashtra using semi structured interview schedule. 600 males and females were interviewed using systematic sampling technique and use multivariate analysis. Result reveals that one third of elderly in rural area are not getting proper care and support from their children/family, many of them perceive ageing as a problem. The study also shows that the elderly living alone with their spouses develop a more negative perception towards the younger generation as compared to those living with their children. The study highlights the need for company of either married or unmarried children to make elderly feel more secure.