Causes of Poor Health in Women 7
Low status of women
Status is the importance that a person has in
the family and community. Status affects how
a woman is treated, how she values herself, the
kinds of activities she is allowed to do, and the
kinds of decisions she is allowed to make. In most
communities in the world, women have lower
status than men. Women’s lower status leads
to discrimination—that is, being treated poorly or denied
something simply because they are women. Discrimination
may take different forms in different communities, but it always
affects a woman’s health.
Wanting sons rather than daughters. Many families value boys
more than girls because boys can contribute more to the family’s
wealth, support their parents in old age, perform ceremonies
after their parents die, and carry on the family name. As a
result, girls are often breastfed for a shorter time, are given less
food and medical care, and receive little or no education.
Lack of legal rights or power to make decisions. In many
communities, a woman cannot own or inherit property, earn
money, or get credit. If she gets divorced, she may not be
allowed to keep her children or her belongings. Even if a
woman has legal rights, her community’s traditions may allow
her little control over her life. Often a woman cannot decide
how the family’s money is spent or when to get health care.
She cannot travel or participate in community decisions without
her husband’s permission.
When women are denied power in these ways, they must
depend on men to survive. As a result, they cannot easily
demand things that contribute to good health, like family
planning, safer sex, enough food, health care, and freedom from
violence.
Having too many children, or having children too close
together. Discrimination against women can also lead them to
get pregnant more often, because bearing children may be the
only way that women can gain status for themselves or their
par tners.
Under all these conditions, women live less healthy lives and
get less health care. They also often accept their low status,
because they have been raised to value themselves less than
men. They may accept poor health as their lot in life and seek
help only when health problems are severe or life-threatening.
➤ Because so much
of the work that
women do is not
recognized, they often
lack legal protection
in the workplace.
➤ Women make up
half of the world’s
population, but work
2 out of every 3
hours worked in the
world, receive only a
tenth of the world’s
income, and own only
a hundredth of the
world’s property.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012