Abstract
The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society. Research into Indian women's status has found that their family contributions are often overlooked and they are likely to be regarded as an economic burden, especially in rural areas. This attitude has a negative impact on their health status. Poor health has repercussions not only for women, but also for their children and other family members. This commentary focuses on the trend in five key women's issues in India: maternal and child health; violence against women; nutritional status; unequal treatment of girls and boys; and care quality. The discussion is based on data extracted from Indian National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-1, NFHS-2 NFHS-3) spanning the period 1993-2006, and data from the Indian Sample Registration System and National Crime Research Bureau.
Highlights
You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women
India has 16% of the world’s population but only 2.4% of its landmass, resulting in great pressures for resources. It is a country where 70% of the population resides in a rural area and males significantly outnumber females, an imbalance that has increased over time
The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society, especially for those living in a rural area
Summary
You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women. Jawaharlal Nehru. Research into women’s status in society has found that the contributions Indian women make to families are often overlooked Instead they are often regarded as economic burdens and this view is common in rural areas of the northern belt. Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor-force participation They typically have little autonomy, living first under the control of their fathers, their husbands, and their sons[1,2,3,4]. These factors have a negative impact on the health status of Indian women. In the context of health as defined by WHO - ‘...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’5 – one must ask how can this be achieved for Indian women
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