Women Health #WomenIssues

Health of women across the globe has always been compromised due to traditional and cultural practices along with gender bias especially in patriarchal societies. In developing nations, pregnant mothers in low-income families are taken often neglected, and hence deliver babies with low birth weight and poor health. In addition to that, post-delivery anemia is common among such mothers during their lactation period. In India, in many traditional homes belonging to low and middle income groups women health and nutrition is neglected especially after delivering a girl child.  According to WHO, in 21 out of 41 countries with data, more than one third of girls belonging to the age group of 15 to 19 years are anemic. Reason behind their vulnerability to anaemia is due to insufficient iron in their diets, menstrual blood loss in periods of rapid growth. Another reason of poor health among women is low socio-economic status, domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse. Studies claim that women are more vulnerable to STDs and HIV infection than men. 

WHO stated that women worldwide are more susceptible to depression than men, which is found to be the leading cause of disease burden in low, middle and high-income countries. More than half a million women across the globe die due to cervical cancer and half a million of them die due to breast cancer. The reason behind high deaths is due to unavailability of screening, prevention and treatment in developing nations. In addition to that most of the aged women suffer and die from cancer or cardiovascular diseases than men irrespective of the country they live in. 

As mentioned on Time.com India tops the chart for top ten countries with high stress rates for women. The possible reason behind it might be overburden of responsibilities on them. Many working women are loaded with responsibilities of their in-laws, husbands and children along with their jobs, which poses a threat of high stress on them. Due to this, they tend to neglect their own health and nutrition-intake. Also, traditionally women used to engage less in physical activities like walking, running etc, which is changing now. However, even today many in-laws or parents demotivate women in their homes to exercise. They associate joining gym with body-building, and getting muscular bodies, and associate running to unnecessary weight loss activity. Learning to swim is considered a pointless activity in many homes. Some traditional homes in backward areas do not allow their female members to engage in any sort of fitness activity either due to the rule of obligatory Hijab or Ghoonghat outside home, or because of the street Romeos loitering around.

Women health is as important as men-health. In a country like India, where women on one hand are worshiped as Goddess, and are looked upon as a nurturer in the family, taking care of everybody’s well-being, their health take a backseat in the process. I would like to render one message to every woman reading this, take care of yourself first and to every man who loves his woman, never let her ignore herself.

P.S. Belonging to metropolitan city of India, prior to coming here, I had noticed more women engaging in fitness activities like jogging, walking or yoga than before. I even saw one women, jogging in saree. I think it is the time, when women should focus more on their health than succumbing themselves to imprudent traditional practices.

Sources: 

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs334/en

http://medcraveonline.com/MOJPB/MOJPB-05-00162.pdf

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/13/study-for-women-india-is-the-most-stressful-country-on-earth

In this years AtoZ challenge, I am writing about women issues. If you are not a blogger and want me to write about certain issue related to women-discrimination or have a story regarding the same, do post your suggestions in the comment box or write to me on my Facebook page.

With AtoZ challenge like all- bloggers worldwide, I too pledge to write on each day of April, except on Sundays.