Emotional Detachment from the Society: Aging Social Exclusion in Rural South Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Old age social exclusion is a crucial issue all over the world. This article seeks to generate a better understanding of the dimensions of old age social exclusion and the ways it affects older people in rural areas of South Punjab, Pakistan. This study employs an ethnographic approach to probe the old age social exclusion in this backward region. This study generates data through in-depth face-to-face interviews with 38 respondents. The participants’ age-group range is from 60 to 80 years. At the analytical phase, the author conducted a detailed thematic analysis which provided with the major themes related to old age social exclusion. The themes which emerged are: 1) Diseases in old age and lack of medication leads to social exclusion; 2) Poverty in old age leads to social exclusion; and 3) Old age abuse leads to social exclusion. These themes collectively give insights into the causes and effects of social exclusion on older people in the rural areas of south Punjab, Pakistan.