Women's health in India
Women's health in India can be examined in terms of multiple indicators, which vary by geography, socioeconomic standing and culture.
[2] Currently, women in India face a multitude of health problems, which ultimately affect the aggregate economy's output.
Addressing the gender, class or ethnic disparities that exist in healthcare and improving the health outcomes can contribute to economic gain through the creation of quality human capital and increased levels of savings and investment.
Gender inequality in India is exemplified by women's lower likelihood of being literate, continuing their education and participating in the labour force.
Studies have indicated that boys are more likely to receive treatment from health care facilities compared to girls, when controlled for SES status.
[6] The role that gender plays in health care access can be determined by examining resource allocation within the household and public sphere.
The higher future financial burden of daughters creates a power structure that favours sons in household formation.
Additionally, women are often perceived as being incapable of taking care of parents in old age, which creates even greater preference for sons over daughters.
With lower involvement in the public sphere—as exemplified by the labour and political participation rates—and the stigma of being less valuable within a family, women face a unique form of gender discrimination.
This finding has led researchers to believe that the sex of a child leads to different levels of health care being administered in rural areas.
[15] In terms of women's health in India, the overall gender disadvantage facing women—represented by cultural and societal factors that favour men over women—negatively impacts their ability to make decisions with regards to seeking out healthcare.
At the turn of the 21st century India's health care system is strained in terms of the number of healthcare professionals including doctors and nurses.
However, the slow pace of change in the judicial system and the aforementioned cultural norms have prevented the full adoption of policies meant to promote equality between men and women.
Additionally, the NHRM aimed to create universal access to public health services and also balance the gender ratio.
[19] However, a 2011 research study conducted by Nair and Panda found that although India was able to improve some measures of maternal health since the enactment of the NHRM in 2005, the country was still far behind most emerging economies.
[20] The high incidence of breast lumps among Adivasi women of Adilabad in Telangana has created apprehension of more serious health impacts for this remote population.
[26] Factors contributing to high maternal mortality rates are often associated with utilization of antenatal care (ANC) prior to and during childbirth.
[18] The government public health system does not provide adequate measures such as free HIV testing, only further worsening the problem.
The insistence of a woman for a man to use a condom could imply promiscuity on her part, and thus may hamper the usage of protective barriers during sex.
[35] There is also evidence to suggest that the presence of HIV/AIDS infection in a woman could result in lower or no marriage prospects, which creates greater stigma for women suffering from HIV/AIDS.
[22] Financial support, old age security, property inheritance, dowry and beliefs surrounding religious duties all contribute to the preference of sons over daughters.
[39] Women have higher mortality rates relating to cardiovascular disease than men in India because of differential access to health care between the sexes.
Numerous factors affect the prevalence of mental health disorders among women in India, including older age, low educational attainment, fewer children in the home, lack of paid employment and excessive spousal alcohol use.
In turn, this may lead women to seek out fewer avenues of healthcare inhibiting their ability to cope with various mental disorders.
[44] Indian women who are faced with greater degrees of poverty and gender disadvantage show a higher rate of depression.
[46] The suicide rate is particularly high among female sex workers in India, who face numerous forms of discrimination for their gender and line of work.
[11] Patriarchal domination occurs when males use superior rights, privileges and power to create a social order that gives women and men differential gender roles.
[11] A 2012 study conducted by Kimuna, using data from the 2005-2006 India National Family Health Survey III, found that domestic violence rates vary across numerous sociological, geographical and economic measures.
[11] Researchers believe that the reason for higher rates of domestic violence come from greater familial pressures resulting from poverty.
[11] Men may feel threatened by the earning potential and independence of women and react violently to shift the gender power structure back in their favour.
