Although women in men traditionally dominated by men make considerable progress, a lack of adequate recognition of their unique biological and functional roles remains a lack of adequate recognition. Maternity, an important life cycle event, is underrepresented in broader gender theory and in feminist discourse. The focus on motherhood in the Indian context was mainly due to the goals for sustainable development (SDGS), the reduction in mother mortality and improving the health of mothers. This approach has in turn enabled India to make considerable progress in reducing maternal mortality, with the MMR reduced by around 68 percent in the past two decades.
India’s progress in maternal health indicators, however, were far slower and at least eight of its SDG goals will miss the health of mothers. In addition, there are the challenges of coping with the mother’s health problems, such as anemia, pregnancies of teenage age and ensuring that health services are accessible to endangered population groups.
The journey to comprehensive maternal health in a diverse country like India is undoubtedly a challenge. It is inextricably linked to the prevailing behavioral norms in the country, which openly evaluates the reproductive role and sets material health needs and its real consequences. The need of the hour is to change this and to put the person at the center of the clinical health practice and social discourse on motherhood. We can achieve this through a gender -specific approach of maternal health.
The imperative for a gender -broadcasting approach
The transformative programming of the gender aims to challenge and change the underlying social norms, roles and power relationships, maintain gender -specific inequalities. The process includes the confrontation and change of discriminatory practices and beliefs that increase these imbalances. A gender -specific transformative health approach of maternal side faces the intersectionality of the experiences of women: the network of several identities in the caste, the stay, literacy and socio -economic status, which affect their access to high quality healthcare. Such a program would include activities in the community that question traditional gender roles and promote the common responsibility in the mother’s healthcare system.
Source: Unicef
For example, initiatives that promote the participation of men in the healthcare system maternal, e.g.
While the cross -gender frame of maternal health has been part of the discourse since the 1980s, it remains largely exhausting, although there is little update on site. Consider the case of iron deficiency anemia in women where India took 170 under 180 countries 2016. While a large part of the political narrative emphasizes curative solutions such as iron preparations and is in direct need, it cannot remedy the basic cause.
Anemia in women is bound with systemic gender inequality. This includes the Unequal distribution of food And other resources within households in which patriarchal norms often lead to men to receive preferred treatment towards women. Studies have shown that health expenditure was systematic Lower for Indian women than their husband Countries in all socio -economic subgroups, although women have a higher prevalence of morbidity than men.
In addition to physical health problems, many women in their home environment are exposed to gaping infrastructure lack. The “Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)” health program operated by the government reveals that women from planned boxes and tribes have considerable inequality when accessing institutional deliveries A 54 percent lower access rate compared to your non-SC/ST colleagues. Studies have also resulted in large differences in the quality of the supply that mothers are available due to their socio -economic position. Access to quality provision here not only means compliance with medical and hygiene protocols, but also access to respectable and worthy care. Women who belong to planned box experienced A Higher prevalence of violence for study (20.6 percent) compared to those from other backward classes (15.2 percent) and upper box or the general category (12.5 percent).
Promotion of maternal health, promotion of the world
The promotion of the women’s agency begins to ensure access to critical information and awareness of various aspects of your health, nutrition, family planning as well as your rights and claims so that you can make well -founded decisions about your health and body. Similarly, it is crucial to improve mothers with knowledge and resources in connection with self -care, sexual violence and other preventive measures in connection with the improvement of their health -satisfied behavior. While some of these community -based interventions are already integrated into the existing system, they have to be further reinforced in order to sharpen consciousness and the agency for women.
Source: Outlook India
It is important to note that discussing the health of mothers cannot be limited to a normative definition of motherhood. This is only the starting point. We have to expand our perspective in order to grasp the diverse experiences of all mothers, including single mothers, adoptive mothers, queer mothers and exhausting mothers, who face challenges with fertility.
Mothers -like health must be understood in this broader framework, with a focus on justice and inclusiveness. The health system must be accessible and fair for each mother regardless of her circumstances.
By dealing with these critical topics and stimulating the diverse experiences of mothers, we can ensure that guidelines reflect their needs and realities. This approach will pave the way for a healthier, fairer future for all mothers in India and enable them to maintain care and respect they deserve.
Khushboo Balani is a team leader at Dasra’s research and insights team. Aanshi Guppa is Associate in the Dasra research and insights team. Mahima Sharda is Associate in the Dasra research and insights team.
