Assessment of Gender Differentials in 'Being Component' of Quality of Life of Aged Living under Varying Support Systems

A study was undertaken to assess gender differentials in the 'Being Component' of Quality of Life of aged (65 years & above) living in various support systems. 'Being Component' refers to the qualities that describe who people are as individuals and is known to impact the Quality of Life (QOL) of an individual. The study comprised a sample of 400 subjects (males=200 & females=200) from Ludhiana city, equally drawn from four support systems viz. elderly living with sons, living with daughters, living alone, and living in institutions. The 'Being Component' and its three dimensions (Physical Being, Psychological Being and Spiritual Being) were investigated using the Quality of Life Profile, senior's version (2000) developed by Quality of Life Research Unit, University of Toronto, Canada. It was found that very few elderly females compared to males were enjoying 'Very Good Quality of Life' with respect to the 'Being Component'. It was true across all dimensions of 'Being Component' and varying support systems. Compared to their male counterparts the 'Physical Being' and 'Psychological Being' dimensions were significantly weak for females living across all support systems except for those 'living with sons'. Also, 'Spiritual Being' dimension was weak for females 'living alone or in institutions'.