Abstract:

This paper reviews the contemporary literature on social exclusion in Asia and the Pacific with special emphasis on ageing, gender inequality, and the institutional weaknesses that link the two. The central argument is that social exclusion in the region is not a single deprivation but a layered process involving inadequate pensions, informal employment, weak long-term care systems, social isolation, and unequal gender relations across the life course. The paper places India within the wider regional pattern and uses comparative tables to show how pension coverage, elderly poverty, gender gaps, and social protection efforts vary across Asian economies. It also retains the econometric analysis of elderly poverty and poverty gaps, showing that broader pension coverage and higher social protection spending are associated with lower old-age deprivation. The review finds that older women face the sharpest risks because labour-market exclusion, unpaid care work, lower earnings, and weaker pension entitlements accumulate over time. The paper concludes that inclusive ageing in Asia-Pacific requires stronger non-contributory and contributory protection, gender-responsive policy design, and sustained investment in care, health, and community support.

Keywords:

social exclusion, ageing, gender inequality, Asia-Pacific, social protection, elderly poverty.

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