The silent suffering of Bangladesh's middle-aged group

Hashi is a 55-year-old widow living in Dhaka. After her husband's death, she sub-let two rooms of her flat and it is her only source of income. 

"I do all the household work. I also have physical complications like most others of my age, but sometimes financial stress feels more painful than anything else," she shared with us. 

As a country experiencing a demographic dividend, 'youth' is a buzzword in Bangladesh. In fact, most discussions tend to revolve around the youth and the elderly, leaving the middle-aged overlooked. One might argue that this is because the other two groups are more vulnerable. 

However, the annual World Happiness Report 2024 revealed a surprising insight for Bangladesh: it is the middle-aged group who are the unhappiest in the country. 

This year, Bangladesh placed 129th among 143 countries in overall happiness ranking. This is not the real concern though, as we have somewhat gotten used to it. But for the first time, the report showed separate rankings by age group. And the findings demand attention.

Who are the members of the middle-age group? According to the Population and Housing Census of 2022, approximately a substantial one-third, or 34.32% of the population falls under this category, which spans from 30 to 59 years. 

The group can be further divided into two sub-groups: lower middle-aged (30 to 44 years) and upper middle-aged (45 to 59 years) groups.

So, what are the silent sufferings of this large middle-aged group that remain unheard?

Every weekend, 36-year-old Sohel Ahsan travels from Dhaka to Jamalpur to take care of his mother, who has been suffering from age-related health issues. His father died and his elder brother lives abroad. So, all responsibilities have fallen on his shoulders alone. 

"You can never stay happy if you have sick parents at home. And this is a common mental stress among middle-aged people like me. Our parents also get older with us and are vulnerable to different physical complications," he said.

According to him, financial stress is a constant issue. As one ages, the burden of responsibilities becomes heavier; sometimes it is children, and sometimes it is a parent. 

There are always worries about the monthly income and expenditure. Frustration about career and work stress also play a role. Then there is the inflation to exacerbate the situation.

Dr Zeenat Huda, professor and chairperson of the Department of Sociology at the University of Dhaka, also agrees on this notion. 

"The upper middle-aged group upon crossing the age of 45 may see that three out of five of their dreams have not been fulfilled. They are more stressed about their daily work-life and maintaining their families' livelihood," she told The Business Standard.

The World Happiness Report 2024 also revealed that the middle-aged males in South Asia are more unhappy compared to their female counterparts. This may be because males are typically the bread-earners in many South Asian families and more exposed to financial stress.

Dr Rifat Sultana, a lecturer at Mymensingh Medical College, added a different perspective. According to her, a notable factor behind the midlife crisis might be the fear of death. 

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reported in 2022 that the country's average life expectancy is 72.4 years. People who belong to the upper middle-age group realise that they are getting closer to death and this makes them depressed. 

Middle age is often called the second adolescence. An individual goes through another challenging period of rapid changes just like her/his teenage. 

It is the time when people may undergo significant psychological, social and physical changes, and it is also a time of questioning identities and exploring life goals. 

This can lead to a sudden desire for significant life changes, like switching jobs, thinking about relationships differently, or trying out passions or hobbies that were previously unexplored.

The report found that the middle aged group is more likely to feel lonely and perceive an absence of social support, despite increased social interaction.

For Bangladesh, the upper and lower middle-aged group scored 3.58 and 3.61 respectively. Scores were based on a three-year average of individuals' own assessments of their lives on a scale of zero to 10. 

The neighbouring nations shared the same scenario in terms of midlife crisis. Like Bangladesh, the upper middle-aged are also the least happy in Nepal and Sri Lanka. In India, it's the lower middle-aged group.

The World Happiness Report identified negative emotions as one of the key factors. In South Asia, negative emotions are more frequent than elsewhere in the world, especially at higher ages. But social support, a sense of freedom, and the absence of corruption can significantly reduce negative emotions.

Another interesting finding of the report is that happiness inequality has a bigger effect on overall happiness than income inequality. And such inequality is generally greater at higher ages.

For a country like Bangladesh, which has severe healthcare inequalities, the happiness inequality among the middle-aged population is intense. 

Positive emotions, which include laughter, enjoyment, and doing interesting things, play a strong role in overall happiness. Freedom and generosity have large impacts on positive emotions, which in turn has a major impact on life evaluations.

Middle-aged people are all around us – perhaps our friends or family members. They are innocent victims of the entire system. We can do nothing about the inflation, corruption or the overall situation of our society. But we can help them by becoming a part of their support system and making them feel that they are loved.