Beyond Age Cutoffs: A Household-Disruption Framework for Premature Mortality in India

Mortality risk varies systematically with age, yet studies overlook social construction of age and, therefore, the social and economic heterogeneity of death's impact within households. This study proposes a characteristics-based conceptualisation of premature mortality incorporating intensity of household disruptions caused by death. Using NFHS-5 and PLFS 2019–20, we imputed multiple dimensions of mortality-induced household disruption, including premature assumption of roles, parental loss, early widowhood, and loss of sole earner. Logistic regression and probabilistic composite disruption scores depicted socioeconomic gradients in timing and magnitude. Disruptions peak earlier and more severely among poorer households, particularly for males, while females exhibit later and less pronounced differentials. Age-equivalence analyses showed that disruptions due to mortality at 20 years among the richest are similar to those at 14 among poorest. This redefinition accommodated real-world vulnerabilities, moving beyond fixed cut-off. The findings highlight need to enrich conceptual frameworks for valuing mortality impacts in stratified societies.