Ageism, ableism, and their intersection: Evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India wave 1

Ageism and ableism significantly affect the well-being, social inclusion, and access to resources of older adults, often shaped by socio-cultural factors, yet remain underexplored within the heterogeneous context of India. This study examines the prevalence and associated factors of ageism, ableism, and their intersection among older adults in India.

Utilizing data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) Wave 1, this study analyzed responses from 30,728 community-dwelling older adults (aged 60 +) across all states and union territories. Participants were categorized into four groups: ageism, ableism, intersection, or none, based on their everyday experiences of discrimination related to age, physical disability, or both. Multinomial logistic regression identified sociodemographic factors associated with these discriminations, with the cumulative advantage/disadvantage theory serving as conceptual framework.

The weighted prevalence of ageism was 10.3 %, ableism was 0.5 %, and 0.4 % reported both. Men were more likely to report ableism (AOR2.66) and intersectional discrimination (AOR2.03) but less likely to report ageism (AOR 0.89). Increasing age (AOR 1.24) and lower education (AOR1.48) were associated with ageism, while unemployment was linked to ableism (AOR2.07) and intersectional discrimination (AOR 2.21). Notably, participants in poorer health were more likely to report ageism (AOR 1.29), ableism (AOR 3.15), and intersectional discrimination (AOR 5.14) based on the Healthy Aging Index, compared to healthier participants.

The findings highlight how different factors shape experiences of discrimination, underscoring the importance of adopting both individual and intersectional perspectives to effectively address these issues and design targeted interventions.