Women's Health and Rights in India: Issues and Concerns
| Author | A.R. Nanda,Bijayalaxmi Nanda,O.P. Sharma |
| Published date | 01 October 2015 |
| Date | 01 October 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556120150408 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
WOMEN'S HEALTH AND RIGHTS IN INDIA: ISSUES
AND CONCERNS
A.R. NANDA, BIJAYALAXMI NANDA AND O.P. SHARMA
The article examines the integral link between women s health,
rights and the policies and programmes
of
the State regarding
them.
The
analysis
of
the statistical profile
of
women from
the Census
of
India, National Health Financing Scheme
(NHFS)
and
the National Sample Survey (NSS) provides a
comprehensive overview
of
the status
of
women in India. Each
and every dimension
of
women s health and rights rangingfrom
survival, mortality, marriage, fertility to work participation,
domestic violence and political participation is highlighted
here. The article draws attention not only
to
the statistical
trends concerning women and girls
in
India, but also to the
policy and programmatic factors that act upon, influence
and sometimes impede women s access
to
their rights
in
each
and every field. The complex interplay
of
socio-cultural ethos
and
the
policy
environment reflected in the attitudes and
mindset
of
the government
is
brought to fore. The ideological
consciousness
of
the government authorities reflects at times
a patriarchal
and
instromental approach towards women
and
girls. This makes it difficult
for
gender-sensitive laws, policies
and programmes to achieve their well-intended goals. The
contradictions
in
certain policies and programmes
in
terms
of
achieving equality
for
women and girls
in
India is also
discussed here.
While the article specifically addresses the issue
of
womens
health, it strives
to
use this aspect as
an
example to reveal
how issues and concerns
of
women are interlinked
in
terms
of
their access and achievement
of
the goals
of
equality and non-
discrimination. The article underscores how the constitutional
guarantees
and
rights
for
women
and
girls in India have
become an exercise
in
rhetoric. This has been clearly revealed
from the statistical profile
of
women in India and the disconnect
698 I INDIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL.
LXI, NO.
4,
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2015
between the implementation
of
policies and programmes from
this glaring reality
in
the country. The article concludes that the
implementation
of
policies
and
programmes need
to
be viewed
from a gender lens. Womens concerns and issues need
to
be
mainstreamed within the core policy discourses and policy
environment
of
the country
in
order
to
create a democratic
and egalitarian society.
"We were not even asked to look at
womens
health. It was not even
mentioned in the terms
of
reference. Consequently no task force
for
health
was set
up.
Fortunately
for
us,
there was a concluding term
of
reference
which was open-ended.
The
Committee was allowed
to
suggest any other
measures to enable women to play their
full
and proper role
in
building
the nation
".
Vina
Mazumdar, Member Secretary,
The
Committee
on
the Status
of
Women
in India (CSWI), 1974. 1
INTRODUCTION
THE UNDERSTANDING on women's health and its critical connection
with the idea
of
rights has been a neglected area
of
policy research. Women's
health in policy documents has been narrowly identified with maternal and
child health.
In
fact, the emphasis on maternal and child health was actually
considered a 'step forward' from the traditional focus on coercive population
policies. The control
of
women's fertility to decrease the numbers in our
population remained an obsession with Government
of
India well into the
1990s. It continues even today irrespective
of
a paradigm shift in policy
documents. In the 1990s the broader terminology
of
reproductive health
was introduced into the policy discourse in India. However, reproductive
health concerns within government policies and programmes continue to
be seen from the context
of
maternal and child health rather than a broad
range
of
rights. The broad range
of
rights which encompass reproductive
rights include the right to be born, to a choice-based and coercion free
sexual life, the right to reproduce, the freedom to decide if, when and how,
and the access to all services including the right to abortion amongst other
rights. The idea
of
developing an understanding on women's health as a
set
of
rights makes it imperative for policy to respond to gender concerns
throughout the life-cycle
of
women. The intersection among gender, class,
caste, disability and sexuality also need to inform policy at each and every
turn. It is thus to be recognised that women's health is built on the cusp
of
the fundamental right to equality guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and
the notion
of
non-discrimination.
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