Annex RECOMMENDATIONS ON CAREGIVING AND OLDER PERSONS: GENDER DIMENSIONS A. Research So far, there is a lack of expertise and research on support systems for older persons from a gender perspective. National and international statistical and research institutes should: (a) Disaggregate all data by age and sex; (b) Analyse the needs of older persons and caregivers from a gender perspective; (c) Pay special attention to the situation of older women and men in developing countries and carry out research on how support systems affect women and men differently; (d) Analyse the consequences of changes in pensions and health care based on gender and age; (e) Develop a methodology to measure the value of women’s unpaid labour. B. Economic security Women in all parts of the world are more likely than men to be poor. Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental institutions should: (a) Ensure that women at all stages of life have access to employment, social protection systems and income equal to that of men; (b) Value the important contributions older women make to development; (c) See that particular attention is paid to efforts to eliminate the gender gap in income; (d) Eliminate discrimination against women in pension funds that are based on the principle of continuous employment; (e) Ensure that older women have access to credit and income-earning possibilities; (f) Involve men and women equally at all levels when designing and implementing economic policies that affect older persons. C. Education and empowerment The level of formal education and participation in public life of older women is much lower than that of men. Governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental institutions should: -40-