Gender refers to the socially as well as culturally defined roles and responsibilities of men and women. The gender roles are learnt through socialization in different social institutions. Gender inequality is the discrimination based on the persons sex in terms of opportunities in the allocation of resources benefits or access to the services. Gender equality means the absence of discrimination based on a person’s in opportunities in a location of resources or benefits or an access to services. Gender equity means fairness and Justice in the discrimination of the benefits and responsibilities between women and men and often requires women specific projects and program to and existing in equities. In many societies women systematically fail to achieve or fail to use some basic Human Rights according to men. Most of the time women’s health status and problems related to affect the mortality ‚morbidity and disability rates.
Examples
Women’s subordinate status in society means that they are often in violent relationship that are both physically and emotionally abusive these effects their mental health. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression largely because of poor self esteem. Indian women are prone to be anemic than their male counterparts this is mainly because of their poor eating habits and less access to nutritious balanced diet.
There are specific gender barriers that women face while accessing adequate healthcare services they are:-
- Limited control over sexual reproduction in India traditionally women do not have the right to decide when to get married how many children to have spacing between children etc
- In these situations women participations in decision-making are almost absent which consequently have tremendous impact on woman’s body and mind.
- Time constraints:- in the social cultural context of Indian society is most often woman Accord less time to their child health and well-being maintenance as household work and child is hearing get the main priority both for working or non working women.
- Does diet personal exercise meditation or taking care of women health are mostly the least important aspects of woman’s life.
- Similarly seeking Healthcare services like Consulting a doctor will be postponed as far as possible till the symptoms become intractable.
- Hence early detection chances of various disease are poor among women.
- Lack of support from Healthcare workers:- Health Care workers lack of understanding about gender disparities and roles and replace in health and lots that do not allowed women to their reproductive and sexual rights these gender insensitive approaches discourage meaning women from seeking specific treatments.
Gender inequality in relation to health
For Indian women the lower status social value in the household affect their health outcome. Cultural factors such as lack of female health providers in the community and health facilities hinder their physical access to hospitals and nursing homes. Low literacy rates and reduced access to information makes the situation was for women. Social division of labour considers women as informal care provider at home has it takes toll on her physical and mental health. Issues like violence alcoholism smoking and Lifestyle related problems are having Public Health implications and this makes the gender based health inequality very complicated in Indian context.