Economic Security and Retirement Income Adequacy: Ensuring Financial Independence and Economic Security of Elderly People in the 21st Century

  • Unique Paper ID: 193813
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 10
  • PageNo: 2558-2565
  • Abstract:
  • Economic security and financial independence are central determinants of older persons’ well-being, health, and social inclusion. A key component of this security lies in pension systems and retirement income adequacy, which provide a stable foundation for sustaining livelihoods after withdrawal from the workforce. The effectiveness of pension schemes—both public and private—along with the inclusivity of contributory and non-contributory arrangements, determines the degree of retirement security that older adults experience. Inadequate pension coverage, particularly among informal sector workers and women, remains a critical global challenge that exacerbates poverty risks in later life. This research paper synthesizes recent evidence on pension adequacy, the costs of long-term care, the unpaid caregiving burden, financial literacy and exploitation risks, and the policy and market innovations that can strengthen older adults’ economic security. Drawing on recent reports and empirical studies, we propose an integrated conceptual framework and a mixed-methods research design for studying economic security in differing national contexts. Policy recommendations include pension system reforms to ensure inclusiveness and sustainability, long-term care financing, targeted financial literacy interventions, protections against financial exploitation, and measures to promote older adults’ labor market participation and access to digital financial services—all of which collectively advance retirement and economic well-being in ageing societies.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{193813,
        author = {Jyoti Devi and Amit Kumar and Dr. Shivan Bibi},
        title = {Economic Security and Retirement Income Adequacy: Ensuring Financial Independence and Economic Security of Elderly People in the 21st Century},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {2558-2565},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=193813},
        abstract = {Economic security and financial independence are central determinants of older persons’ well-being, health, and social inclusion. A key component of this security lies in pension systems and retirement income adequacy, which provide a stable foundation for sustaining livelihoods after withdrawal from the workforce. The effectiveness of pension schemes—both public and private—along with the inclusivity of contributory and non-contributory arrangements, determines the degree of retirement security that older adults experience. Inadequate pension coverage, particularly among informal sector workers and women, remains a critical global challenge that exacerbates poverty risks in later life. This research paper synthesizes recent evidence on pension adequacy, the costs of long-term care, the unpaid caregiving burden, financial literacy and exploitation risks, and the policy and market innovations that can strengthen older adults’ economic security. Drawing on recent reports and empirical studies, we propose an integrated conceptual framework and a mixed-methods research design for studying economic security in differing national contexts. Policy recommendations include pension system reforms to ensure inclusiveness and sustainability, long-term care financing, targeted financial literacy interventions, protections against financial exploitation, and measures to promote older adults’ labor market participation and access to digital financial services—all of which collectively advance retirement and economic well-being in ageing societies.},
        keywords = {Economic Security, Financial Independence, Elderly Well-Being, Retirement Income Adequacy, Retirement Security},
        month = {March},
        }

Cite This Article

Devi, J., & Kumar, A., & Bibi, D. S. (2026). Economic Security and Retirement Income Adequacy: Ensuring Financial Independence and Economic Security of Elderly People in the 21st Century. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(10), 2558–2565.

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