Modernization and Status of the Aged People in South Asia: A Mixed Methods Investigation from Pakistan

Abstract

Status of the aged people is one of the most important areas of social sciences. Aged people constitute a vivid proportion of the population in the developed countries and this population is on increase in the developing countries. It has been observed that modernization has changed and declined the status of the aged people. The current study uses Cowgill and Holmes theory of modernization to determine the status of the aged people by using mixed methods approach. The study is based on 12 in-depth interviews and 150 questionnaires from aged people. It was concluded that modernization has altered the status of the aged people but qualitative study has established that aged people in Pakistan enjoy good social, physical, political and economic status. The primary reason behind this difference of conclusion is mainly due to the fact that modernization is under process in Pakistan and people still enjoy higher level of status.