Is Caring for Elders an Act of Altruism?

Abstract

The ongoing public debate in India and many other developing countries on the income security of a rapidly growing aging population has unearthed the perceived risk of weakening ties between young and old and a shift in long-term filial commitments between them. There have also been questions about the basis of intergenerational linkages. Do linkages rest on exchange considerations, implying mutuality in gains drawn from each other, or is there a sense of altruism that maintains them and motivates the young to care for the elders? If the former, that is, exchange-based, relationship is true, it brings to light many questions for countries like India, in which old-age poverty is rampant, and many older people own nothing tangible to offer in exchange for favors from their younger siblings and children. This problem may lead to further complications in countries where public transfers to older persons are either nonexistent or weak. India, particularly, is a country where filial piety remains critical in the absence of well-designed and widespread social security coverage.