COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OLDER ADULTS IN RUSSIA

At the turn of the 20th century, economic science and social policy have been revisiting the phenomena of inequality and poverty. However, they are mostly focused on addressing the country’s population as a whole. Raising pensions and social benefits, introducing progressive tax system are believed to smooth out the income inequality. Inequality and poverty may not only be instigated by institutional environment, but also by a range of events and individual decisions. The aim of the study is the comparative analysis of social and demographic characteristics of older adults in Russia in the context of income inequality. We also attempt to identify factors correlating with their income status. Methods: we apply the method of decile and quintile income inequality coefficients calculation, as well as Gini index and Palma index calculation for the four age groups of older adults 55+ in Russia. Results: the assessment of inequality indices suggests that inequality coefficients for older adults decrease with age. The groups of the least wealthy and the most wealthy older adults both consist prevalently of women. Above that, especially in young-old ages two income groups have significant differences. The least wealthy live predominantly in rural areas, have lower level of education, employment, mobility and lower self-perceived health compared to the most wealthy.