An analysis of the $5.7 billion in aid spent on gender equality projects has revealed that only 0.1% directly includes older women, who represent a significant proportion of the global female population.
A new HelpAge report has revealed that out of 7,231 projects reported by OECD-DAC members in 2021 to promote gender equality, only 16 included any reference to older women. These projects received a mere $7.8 million investment, out of a total global spend of $5.7 billion dollars.
Nearly two-thirds of the donors reviewed did not fund any projects that explicitly included older women.
Investing in Equality: Addressing the Funding Gap for Older Women
With only 0.1% of aid focused on gender equality specifically including older women, the international community is overlooking the lived realities of millions.
By 2050, women over 50 will make up 34.7% of the world’s female population. Yet, their needs remain largely invisible in policy and funding, and they are systematically excluded from gender equality initiatives, leaving them at-risk and under-supported.
Discrimination Across a Lifetime
Many women face lifelong discrimination. Decades of unpaid caregiving, informal work, and pervasive gender inequality leave older women with little to no savings, and they often lack access to pensions. Older women are twice as likely as men to live alone and suffer higher levels of poverty at all ages, with the widest gap coming in older age. These challenges are most severe in low- and middle-income countries, where the capacity to provide support is lowest.
Missed Opportunities for Inclusion
Gender equality programs hold tremendous potential to lift women out of poverty and promote opportunities, yet they are failing to reach older women. Where older women are referenced, the mentions are often vague and lack concrete follow-up actions.
Recommendations for Action
The report calls on donors and international agencies to address the imbalance by strengthening the focus on older women in policies and programming. They must ensure older women are included in gender equality programs and should make a concerted effort to drive and track their inclusion.
HelpAge proposes the following recommendations:
- To donors: Strengthen understanding of, and attention to, risks facing older women through donor programming and in donor policy frameworks.
- To donors and international agencies: Use their positions in global, regional, and national forums to support and amplify older women’s voices in global development efforts and strengthen global efforts with regards to older women
- To multilateral agencies: Support with the tools and coordination needed to drive and track action.
The international community has the power—and the responsibility—to address this gap. It is crucial for donors to adopt an all-ages approach, ensuring that policies and programs include older women through both mainstreaming and targeted initiatives.
Without urgent action, the gender equality agenda will remain incomplete. As the world ages, older women cannot afford to be left behind.
