“I wish we weren’t fighting all the time to protect women’s rights, to protect women’s health”.
These are the famous words said by none other than Hillary Clinton. The words are less, but the clandestine meaning is so much deeper than that. Ever since the dawn of civilization, men have prospered in the fields of education, health, and power. But women? Had anyone ever stopped by for even a second to think about what they went through on a daily basis? No one did, and those who managed to speak up for themselves and stand for what they deserved, were silenced. Parents taught boys to be robust, literate, and go out to manage the world, but girls were taught to be meek, docile, to keep quiet, and blindly obey the men, no matter how much they suffered themselves. Eventually, voices rose, awareness was created and a mass involvement compelled the patriarchal society to let women have their rights too. But sadly, the transience is still in process, and every now and then women have to fight for their birthrights to own a respectable place for themselves in this world.
Amidst all this, the opportunities and amenities that women can get access to become limited and so does their priority to maintain their health. But how is this fair? Why do women have to bear the pain and health issues alone while fighting for their basic rights as well? How can women prosper if they are not even in a condition to fight for their rights? They have long been disadvantaged in many respects such as social and economic power which restricts their access to the necessities of life including health care. The greater the level of disadvantage, such as in developing countries, the greater is the adverse impact on their health. ‘Women’s Health’ is a topic that is overlooked by most but is something which is essentially the most important subject that needs to be addressed.
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. A woman’s health differs from a man’s in several distinctive ways. The health and wellbeing of women and girls are of particular concern because, in many societies, they are harmed by discrimination rooted in sociocultural factors. For example, women and girls face increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
According to WHO, some of the socio-cultural factors that prevent women and girls to benefit from quality health services and attaining the best possible level of health include power imbalances between men and women, social norms that decrease education and paid employment opportunities, an exclusive focus on women’s reproductive roles and potential or actual experience of physical, sexual and emotional violence. While poverty is an important barrier determining the health outcomes for both men and women, poverty tends to yield a higher burden on women and girls’ health due to feeding practices (malnutrition) and the use of unsafe cooking fuels (COPD) among other things.
Susan Saradon accurately pointed out that “When all you know is the pain you don’t know that it is not normal. It is not a woman’s lot to suffer, even if we’ve been raised that way”. It’s astonishing to know that there are a lot of women out there who think that pain and suffering is a part of their normal life, something that they are bound to bear. This has happened because they were brought up this way and were never taught how important it is for them to look, not just after their family, but after themselves as well. Women face unique health issues including pregnancy, menopause, and conditions related to female organs. Not only do they bear it quietly, but some of them are also even ashamed to voice out their problems, afraid of society’s perception towards them. It’s high time that each and every person understands how crucial it is to look into the health issues of women and appropriately tend to them as well.
According to the NIH (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), women are more likely to die following a heart attack and show more signs of depression and anxiety than men. The effects of sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract problems can be more serious in women. Osteoarthritis affects more women than men. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the issues pertaining to their health. Menstruation still faces many social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of the menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, girls are not prepared and aware of menstruation so they face many difficulties and challenges at home, schools, and workplaces. Although periods are a normal and natural part of a woman’s life, many women find that their periods are an intrusion or an interruption to their day-to-day life. Conditions like serious pain and heavy bleeding should be investigated by a doctor, but low-level discomfort can be avoided by making a number of lifestyle changes. A healthy diet, avoiding salt in food, reducing caffeine intake, restoring sleep cycle, exercising regularly, and reducing stress may help improve one’s quality of life and significantly reduce the severity of PMS symptoms, including reducing moodiness and painful periods. It’s believed that the attitude women develop towards their period can affect their experience of it. Thus, having supportive partners and people around them can help them deal better with the symptoms.
Women’s lives have changed over the centuries. Earlier, life was particularly difficult for most women. Aside from the numerous dangers and diseases, women became wives and mothers, often when they were just emerging from their own childhood. Childbirth itself was risky and usually led to the death of the mother. In the 1900s, a woman’s life span was about 50 years.
However, in this 21st century, the average life expectancy for women around the world is 72 years. They now have the possibility of enjoying a better quality of life. In order to accomplish this, it is essential that women take charge of their own bodies and that they comprehend how they can maximize their personal health and fitness. It will be even more helpful if men understand and are supportive of the health concerns of women. Only when this issue has been dealt with on a global scale and in every nook and cranny of our neighborhood, women can truly be empowered to lead, grow and further contribute to the overall growth, advancement, and prosperity of the whole wide world.
Author – Sagorika Ghosh, Illustrated by – Rishabh Aggarwal
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