Root Causes of Poor Health in Women

Social and economic conditions can contribute to the health problems of girls and women especially during and after pregnancy. These conditions include:

• Poor Nutrition: In many families, it is a tradition that men and boys eat first (and have the best part of the meal), followed by girls and finally the mother. This put in practice means that girls and women, especially when the family is poor, do not get enough food to eat that helps them gain strength and grow. When women are small, and especially if their hips are narrow, labor can be difficult and they may not be able to deliver a baby safely. Inadequate nutrition and poor diet can make girls and women weak, and more vulnerable to illness. It is important, therefore, to ensure that girls and women get adequate food not only while they are pregnant or breastfeeding, but also during childhood, adolescence, and before and after pregnancy.

• Poor General Health: there are many diseases and injuries that affect women. Often times women are likely to get a certain disease because of the type of work they do, or because their bodies are different from men’s. Women are also more vulnerable than men to certain infections, such as sexually transmitted diseases. They can develop illnesses in their reproductive organs that can cause discomfort and even death. Many women do not know the signs of serious illness, or they just accept that pain and discomfort are their normal lot in life. Women and their families – need to understand that thinking about themselves is good for the whole family. Because of the many responsibilities they have, it is important for everyone that they be strong and healthy.

• Violence against Women: through out the world, violence against women is common, although people are very reluctant to talk about it openly. Studies reveal that between 25 and 60% of women say that they have been beaten, raped or abused by their husband or sexual partner. Rape and abuse of young girls and adolescents is also common, although rarely reported. Some studies even indicate that violence is more common when a woman is pregnant.

This violence has many consequences: some women die, others suffer from broken bones, miscarriages, or other injuries. Many women who are beaten become depressed or anxious, and some even try to commit suicide.

• Female Genital Mutilation: In many areas of Africa, girls are subjected to sometimes fatal practice often referred to as female circumcision, but which is more accurately called female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is a traditional practice in which part or all of the external reproductive organs of the female are removed.

This painful practice may be performed on baby girls, girls nearing puberty, adolescents, and sometimes on grown women right before or after they deliver a baby. It is usually performed without anesthesia, using unclean instruments. If the victim does not die immediately from shock or severe bleeding, she may well die from the infection that often follows. If she survives, she is likely to suffer permanently from painful sexual intercourse because of heave scarring around the vaginal opening. In some cultures a woman who has not had this operation is considered “unmarriageable”. FGM is, however, an extremely dangerous and harmful practice that kills or injures thousands of young girls each year.

• Lack of Education: educating girls and women improves their health and that of their children. The more education a woman has, the more likely she is to make the right decisions concerning the health of her children. An educated woman is more likely to use health services when she is sick, take measures to prevent disease and harmful traditional practices, delay marriage and child bearing until she is prepared for it physically, emotionally, and financially. She may also use family planning to space her pregnancies and limit the total number of children, take advantage of training and credit programs and participate in decision-making in the family.

• Early Age at Marriage: women in Africa tend to marry at a very young age, often by age 16 or 17, and in some areas even by age 12 or 13. There are many reasons for this practice but there are good reasons to delay marriage. It is better for a girl to wait at least until the age of 18 before becoming pregnant, because her body is better able to survive the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, getting married and becoming pregnant often means a girl has to stop going to school. This limits her future opportunities and deprives her of the benefits of education. Early marriage carries various risks to the health and future of a girl and parents should protect their daughters from these consequences.

• Heavy Workload. Almost all women in Africa work very hard. Whether a woman works as a farmer in the village or a professor in the capital city, she is likely to spend from dawn until night taking care of the house and children, as well as growing crops or earning money.

The burden of these duties creates a number of problems for girls and women. Overwork especially in combination with poor nutrition, makes a woman more likely to get sick. Staying in good health requires time, attention, and information, as well as money; many women do not have enough of these things, especially if they are working too hard on daily chores.

Women’s workloads can be reduced by having family members help women more, or by using technologies that save women time and ease their work.

• Low Social, Legal, and Economic Status: “Women’s status” means the way women are treated, how they are viewed in their community, what they are able to do, and what their legal rights are. Status also depends on how members of a woman’s family and community view her; in many parts of Africa for example, how much respect a woman receives depends largely on how many children she has. The desire for status can lead women to continue having children even when pregnancy and childbirth carry serious health risks.

• Lack of Control over Resources: In many families, women have very little say over how money is spent, even if they helped earn it. Both women and their families would benefit if women played a larger role in deciding how money is spent in the family and the community.

•  Role in Decision making: Often, women are not consulted when decisions are being made about the family or the community. Often, it is the man alone who decides whether or not family planning should be used to limit the number of children or space births. Therefore, women’s needs are neglected, and their knowledge and experience are not used to help guide decisions in the community.

It is important for health workers to understand the obstacles women face in their daily lives, and hoe these affect women’s health and well-being. Recognizing the problem is also important for others in the community, so that they can try and address these problems. Governments, non-governmental groups, and individuals can and should work together to improve the conditions of women’s lives, so that women and their families benefit.