Although there have been concerted efforts to give women their equal share in the society but it is a fact that discrimination against women start right from a girl’s birth. Girls are breast-fed less frequently and for shorter durations during childhood. Want for a boy plays a major role behind this. The mother unknowingly does this which makes the girl undernourished right from the beginning. Social norms and culture demands girls to be fed last and least in a household. Thus she gets what’s left after male members have their share. This ensures that girls do not reach their full growth potential and makes them prone to diseases. Thus India witnesses a higher mortality rates in the age group of one to five and over 25 percent of girls will not be live to celebrate their 15<SUP>th</SUP> birthday. Its heart wrenching to learn that every sixth infant dies due to gender discrimination.
This is a very serious issue in India. Families don't give any attention to the health of their women and think that they don't need any nutrition as they only stay at home. But the truth is that women need much better care and nutrition than men as they have to bear children.
The nutritional deficiency leads to another serious concern - anaemia. 40-50 % women in urban India and 60-70 % in rural areas suffer from anaemia. This not only poses risks during pregnancy but also makes women more vulnerable to diseases like Tuberculosis. Such deficiency in nutrition leads to a cycle of under growth and malnutrition as an undernourished mother will give birth to malnourished children thus jeopardizing health of entire generations. India’s maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the world’s highest. Girl child is even neglected during illness. In Punjab average medical expenditure for boys is 2.3 times higher than that for girls.
[justify] I do agree that in India, in various respects, the female children are discriminated against right from the birth vis-a-vis the male children. A sharply adverse sex ratio for females in total population in India is a glaring overall index in this respect. Fortunately, the trend is changing and tolerance towards girls/women is on the increase, perhaps not because of 'concerted efforts' on the part of the Government as due to increasing awareness among families on account of education, modernization and knowledge about lifestyles and facilities available to women in the developed world. This change is clearly dicsernible in metropolitan cities and in the urban areas generally. Media has also played an important role in this respect. However, it is still a very long way to go. The worst aspect is that generally the mothers and women , who themselves had to undergo a lot of discrimination and deprivation, themselves discriminate against females (own children and others) as decision makers. Incidentally, in spite of the internecine neglect and discrimination the 'life expectancy at birth' for females in India is higher than that for the males [/justify]
Even adult women are also not given due care by the men. Most of the times women do not admit health issues and at other times they do not get medical help. In fact all over India in rural primary health care centres more men are treated than women with the disparity higher in North India than in South India. A strong patriarchal society where women’s lives are still governed by age old beliefs and traditions have resulted in such condition of women in India. It is high time we wake up to these issues to save our future generations.
The problem is that in our country, women leave everything on men, including their own health. We will have to teach our girls not to be dependent on their brother, father, husband or son for their needs. They should take charge of their own lives.
It is a shame that modern India, which boasts of so much development and economic growth, is constrained by highest maternal mortality rates of the world in rural areas. The main factor contributing to such dismal state is people’s reluctance to seek medical help for pregnancy. In rural areas pregnancy is considered to be a temporary state which will soon disappear. Studies across the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat show that registration for maternal and child health is as low as 5-22% in rural areas and 21-51% in urban areas. Women with previous pregnancy problems are also not send for medical help. There are several reasons behind this. The women themselves are not allowed to take decisions in these matters. Their mother-in-law or husband decides on their part. Then there are financial considerations and general ignorance on part of the people that such help would do more harm than good. It is estimated that pregnancy related deaths account for 25% of fatalities in the age group of 15-29, half of which is preventable.
Priyagupta, I totally agree with you. Women don't get the right to even be the master of their own health. If we can't even make sure this much freedom to our women, then why are we even dreaming to be a super power???
Its not just about what women are provided in the family, but also what the government provides them. In most of our villages, there are hardly and good hospitals or clinic that can give good care and treatment to women. As compared to men, women in villages are at bigger risk of dying as they don't get any ob/gyn care.
The health of families and communities depend largely on the health of women. The illness and death of women have far reaching consequences on the health of her children and family. The slogan “ healthy women, healthy world” symbolizes the fact that as custodians of their families health they play a crucial role in maintaining and sustaining the health of the entire community. In India also women health issues have gained much political commitment and higher visibilitpolitical commitment and higher visibility. There are targeted policies and programmes that are enabling women to lead a healthier life but there is no denying the fact that gender based health disparities exist in all parts of the country. The disparity is higher in North India than is South India. But a problem is looming in front of us. Much of the gains that we have realized in recent decades are threatened to be reversed by economic instability and HIV/AIDS pandemic. Thus we have to be more cautious now and need to have gender-equitable approaches to enable full participation of women in planning and delivery of health services.
