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THE
WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR BETTER AGING SOCIETY
DAI-31 KYUTEI MANSION #802 2-9-1 Shinjuku, Shinkuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan Phone: (03) 3356-3564 Our activities
include making surveys from viewpoints of women, as well as issuing
warnings and offering suggestions concerning the problems of an aging
society addressed to both the general public and the government sector. In
this way, our activities have acquired considerable influence throughout
Japan. Our members include scholars, researchers, medical specialists
welfare, journalists, volunteer workers for aged people at the local
level, and wives who have the burden of caring for aged persons -
including the bedridden and those suffering from senile dementia. Of
course we do not exclude men from our organization. We have regular and
advisory male members. Due to the
longer life expectancy of women, women have longer period of old age - in
many cases to be faced with inadequate financial resources. Furthermore,
90% of those involved in helping aged people are women. Thus, we may
conclude that problems of an aging society are essentially the problems of
women. Without
eliminating the division of labor and role determination by sex, as has
been promoted during the international Decade of Women, women cannot
expect to enjoy well-being during their own old age or have their human
rights guaranteed. This position represents the fundamental view of our
organization. So far, the
activities of our organization have focused on raising issues related to
an aging society since these are concerned with women’s problems and are
related to the strengthening of women’s status through the amendment of
present pension systems. Also, we have made proposals regarding the
operation of day care centers for the elderly. During the
current year (2002) we have made proposals regarding a long-term view of
developing a Japanese welfare society for the aged. These proposals have
been based on substantial research carried out in cooperation with local
government bodies on welfare services provided to aged people in their own
homes. Some of these
proposals have been incorporated in government policy and these changes
have been of great encouragement to many aged men and women. Our group
serves as a focal point in an information network composed of various
group activities in local areas. Our Society is an organization that makes
proposals on government policy, based on substantial research conducted
with regard to key issues. Such activities have attracted attention
throughout the country. Each year we attract more then 1,500 participants
from all over Japan to our annual September symposium. Without world peace
and the equality of both sexes, the welfare and prosperity of the aging
society cannot be attained. We members of the
Women’s Group for Better Aging Society, in cooperation with people all
over the world, will continue to propose effective and powerful policies,
from the viewpoint of women.
Keiko Higuchi
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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